Here’s another preview of my top 25 countdown of the best songs of 06-09:

Rihanna ft. Jay-Z – Umbrella (2007)
“Took an oath, I’m-a stick it out till the end”
The hybrid nature of “Umbrella” may not be terribly obvious on a first listen, but it includes a fair number of disparate elements.  It is a dance song set to a rock backbeat with Caribbean-accented R&B vocals and a rap intro.  The arrangement is tight.  The lyrics are straightforward, and why shouldn’t they be, when there are so few great songs about fidelity?