Rihanna’s irresistible yet clinical R&B jam “Umbrella” sounds like a worthy candidate for any Best of ’07 list. Though it debuted in March, its cagey, multiseasonal lyrics kept it on the charts during the summer months: “When the sun shines/We’ll shine together/Told you I’ll be here forever . . . Now that it’s raining more than ever . . . You can stand under my umbrella/Ella ella ella.” Sure, it’s unfortunate that the song’s most memorable lyric was that parenthetical echo — “Ella ella ella” — but no one was looking to this Caribbean-born anti-diva for verbal finesse. And now that Rihanna has yet another catchy and anonymous single (“Shut Up and Drive”) climbing the charts, maybe we can conclude that one key to making an impact in this over-nichefied age is to downplay one’s personality as... More >>>