 Jake Conway of Q Magazine at Yale agreed , writing that the lyrics of " S & M " display why the singer continues to be one of the most provocative recording artists in the music industry , highlighting how she " turns the tables on abusive ex @-@ lover Chris Brown . " Digital Spy 's Nick Levine gave the song a rating of four stars out of five , and wrote that the song makes the listener as " up @-@ for it " as Rihanna herself ; he went on to say that " S & M " consists of " ear @-@ <unk> " hooks , synths and pounding beats . James Skinner of BBC Music wrote that Loud lacked the " chart @-@ friendly moments " of Rated R and criticized the overtly sexual lyrics which he found " at odds with " the flirtatious appeal for which Rihanna was aiming . Skinner described the singer 's vocal delivery as " forced " and criticized her for not projecting a " daring " or convincing sound on " S & M " 
