On January 27, Tidal accidentally released Rihanna’s eighth studio album, “ANTi.” To the enjoyment of many fans, the full album then leaked online, allowing an early listen to the pop icon’s latest release.

“ANTi” was only on Tidal for a few minutes, but it sparked an immediate and successful official release. Its first single, “Work feat. Drake,” sits atop the iTunes and Tidal top songs chart, while the album is first on Tidal’s top albums, where it’s being streamed exclusively for a week.

Although the album is long overdue — its original release was planned for last November — “ANTi” is Rihanna’s strongest and most cohesive album so far. This isn’t an easy feat after eight albums, yet on “ANTi,” Rihanna shows us she is capable of putting out more than just radio hits. The effort starts off strong, introducing her audience to new, trippy R&B melodies.

The opening track, “Consideration feat. SZA,” commences with Rihanna singing to an electronic trap/reggae beat, while the chorus consists of both Rihanna and SZA singing, “I got to do things my own way darling,” possibly indicating her creative control of the album — something her previous efforts lacked. It is followed by interlude “James Joint,” which is a little over a minute’s worth of Rihanna telling listeners what she’d rather be smoking over strong, soul-inspired instrumentals.

“Kiss It Better” follows, and upon hearing slow drums and a strong electric guitar sound, the song pulls you into a medley of rock, blues and the singer’s glorious raw vocals. Contrarily, her next track, “Work feat. Drake,” starts with an upbeat, fast tempo. Drake comes in toward the middle of the song with a verse, giving the song chart-topping potential. As it fades out, “Desperado” comes in with a bang. Surrounded by a fusion of soul and R&B instrumentals, Rihanna’s vocals still command attention.

The tracks seem to draw on past relationships, as her next few songs touch on the subject as well while the album’s sound takes a dark turn. It continues with “Woo,” which begins with an industrial repetitive beat as Rihanna slyly sings, “I bet she could never make you cry.” DJ Mustard’s tagline is heard, and a slow-paced trap sound emerges. While the track differs from Rihanna’s pop singles, it still has the potential to be a hit.

The latter half of the album is more downtempo, though equally complex in sound as the former. “Yeah, I Said It,” and the nearly seven-minute cover of Tame Impala’s “Same Ol’ Mistakes” show how diverse Rihanna can be. She showcases her desire to achieve an eclectic record with her experimentation in psychedelic sounds, especially on “Same Ol’ Mistakes,” which is filled with a number of diverse instruments.

Her last four songs draw on folk, jazz and pop influences. “Never Ending” introduces itself with a string guitar, giving the track a folksy feel. This song fails to shine among the album’s more stellar tracks. “Love On The Brain,” however, sounds like an Amy Winehouse song, and Rihanna excels vocally. The singer seems to show prowess on jazz tracks, and it’s almost a shame that she does not incorporate more of that sound in the overall album.

Though it’s only two minutes long, “Higher” is another impressive track. Rihanna belts out the track, and its short length leaves the potential for another artist to add a verse — something Rihanna has done in the past with “Birthday Sex.” “ANTi” finishes with the slow-moving ballad “Close To You.” The song isn’t particularly striking, but it puts her highly anticipated album to a soft finish.

After listening to “ANTi,” the album’s name makes sense as it is the complete opposite of anything she’s ever released. It is a personal, passionate album and definitely worth a listen.

Favorite Songs:

— “Kiss It Better”

— “Desperado”

— “Yeah, I Said It”