Pen'D Music🎵🎼🎤🎹: "Stay" Allows Rihanna's Vulnerability To Shine With A Haunting Duet With Mikky Ekko

Hurrah Hurray!
I can hardly contain myself! Rihanna needs to embrace her vulnerable side more often because her performance of "Stay" from her seventh studio album Unapologetic is a far cry from what we've viewed from her in a very long time. I don't care what critics say, I'm going to commend her 100% this time for showing us that there is more underneath her than her bare necessities. Meaning, when this girl tries she can touch us in a more meaningful resounding way when she opts for material that allows her to showcase that side of herself.

I'm not a Rihanna basher, I just get sick and tired of the stereotypical loosey-goosey Island girl wearing barely nothing and "living out loud" as though she has no restraints. It's Kool to have fun. She's young, vivacious, beautiful, and has much to offer the world like the rest of us. She deserves to live out her youth, but it's just too much what has followed her since her rise to fame. You all know the drama that follows so I don't need to continue in that direction. I'll leave the gossip to the other columnists who enjoy prying and preying on Entertainers for the mere enjoyment of if it all.

"Stay" revisits her old self when she first stepped out on the scene before the Girl Gone Bad phase, pun loosely intended. I'm missing the original Rihanna and with her long tresses and covered appearance I receive a glimpse of that from long ago. She may think she was a child back then even though now it wouldn't make since for her to portray that image because she's older and has experienced more in life, but she still possessed that spice even though her image was more girly. The racy, fire-cracker she has become is way too over-the-top for me because it's too much in one setting. It's like having a ton of amazing dishes being presented to you at once. You love every dish, but after the 3rd or 4th plate it all starts to look bad and overwhelming because you're full. One too many desserts.

The atmosphere is solemn, emotionally-drenched in a sadness you can feel. In the video she's in a bathtub and for me I can envision someone in the same situation pulling the drain stop out and watching the water circle down the drain, staring intently and lost. Just me with my imagination. There's a division in critique about this song regarding the balladry, with most describing it as a standout track on the album [Unapologetic], while a few labeled it as boring. Though in a unification, her vocal performance and emotion were praised. Rihanna delivered an amazing performance. She did the song justice. If she gets more in touch with art like this she will be a more memorable artist, memorable to me.

Mikky Ekko's appearance created a nice duo-mix. I may not know much about him but he's great at the pen as a co-writer of this song! Sings and writes exceptionally. His attire was subdued with his pulled down hat, buttoned down shirt, blazer, and slacks following the color scheme of the dark blues and blacks of the stage setting. His voiced moved me in the best way possible. Very deeply rooted emotion, sexy, and in-line with the message. GREAT connection with Rihanna, they're inseparable.

All along it was a fever
A cold sweat hot-headed believer
I threw my hands in the air and said, "Show me something,"
He said, "If you dare come a little closer."
Round and around and around and around we go
Oh now tell me now tell me now tell me now you know
Not really sure how to feel about it.
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can't live without you.
It takes me all the way.
I want you to stay
It's not much of a life you're living
It's not just something you take – it's given
Round and around and around and around we go
Oh now tell me now tell me now tell me now you know
Not really sure how to feel about it.
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can't live without you.
It takes me all the way.
I want you to stay.
Oh the reason I hold on
Oh cause I need this hole gone
Funny you're the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving
Cause when you never see the light it's hard to know which one of us is caving
Not really sure how to feel about it.
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can't live without you.
It takes me all the way.
I want you to stay, stay.
I want you to stay, oh.