The album was re-released as an expanded two-disc deluxe package in Germany, which includes remixes to both Rihanna's debut single, "Pon de Replay", and "If It's Lovin' That You Want".

[6] Music of the Sun debuted at number 10 on the US Billboard 200[7] and peaked in the top-forty of album charts in Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

[14] When asked about the album in an interview with MTV News, Rihanna stated: "Vocally I've matured so much, and lyrically I'm speaking about stuff I would never sing about [before].

[14] While recording the track "If It's Lovin' That You Want" for her debut album, Rihanna received a visit from American singer Ne-Yo, in which they met for the first time, although they never got the chance to collaborate on Music of the Sun.

[13] "Kisses Don't Lie" was penned and produced by Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken and it was one of the three songs on the album on which Rihanna received writing credit.

"[14] Celia SanMiguel of Vibe magazine wrote that A Girl Like Me is "a pop album, one informed but not bounded by Rihanna's Caribbean roots", and that it "dispels any lingering notions of her as a dancehall-meets-R&B ambassador.

"[2] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine called the album "a record that almost identically" veered between "sunny dancehall/dub-pop", "hip-hop-infused club bangers", and "adult-oriented ballads".

[26] "Final Goodbye" talks about a woman who wants to spend the rest of her life with a man[27] but feels that she needs to reveal a secret before moving on.

"Kisses Don't Lie", the album's second song, uses a mixture of Caribbean elements and electric guitar together with a mesmerizing bassline.

The seventh track, and the album's fourth and final single, "Break It Off", is a collaboration with Jamaican recording artist Sean Paul.

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love", the album's eighth track, is another collaboration song featuring Jamaican music group J-Status.

[36] The maxi single included both the radio edit and instrumental versions of "SOS", as well as the album track "Break It Off", which features Jamaican reggae singer Sean Paul.

[36] "SOS" contains a sped up sample[37] of "Tainted Love", which was originally written by Ed Cobb in 1965 and popularized by English synthpop duo Soft Cell, when they released their cover version in 1981.

[48] The song's accompanying music video was directed by Anthony Mandler, and features Rihanna in a love triangle in which she struggles to choose between her husband and her romantic interest, and regrets having cheated on the former.

[55] The single garnered a positive reaction from critics, who hailed it as one of the album's highlights and a return to Rihanna's dancehall roots.

"[68] However, Celia San Miguel of Vibe magazine criticized the song, and called it a "stumble" on the album and a "yawn-inducing slow jam.

[68] During the recording process of A Girl Like Me, Rihanna served as the opening act for Gwen Stefani during the Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005 in Japan to promote Music of the Sun.

[18] Before the release of the album, Rihanna was given substantial promotional support from MTV, which highlighted "SOS" on Total Request Live when she premiered the single's music video on March 23, 2006.

[74][75] Rihanna performed the album's lead single "SOS" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on February 20, 2006, and at the 2006 MuchMusic Video Awards on June 18, 2006.

[78] On November 2, 2006, Rihanna performed "SOS" live at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards held in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Taking place during the summer of 2006, the tour also supported her debut studio album Music of the Sun and traveled across North America.

Dan Charnas of The Washington Post observed a "much broader musical palette than the wannabe-yoncés" and stated: "Sophomore slump avoided, Rihanna actually digs into some ambitious pop ballads".

"[28] Ruth Jamieson of The Observer noted: "Chuck in a bit of Sugababes-esque harmony, some M.I.A.-style electro and a dollop of reggae, and you're even closer to getting Rihanna.

"[89] In a negative review, Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times wrote that apart from "SOS", "Unfaithful", and "Break It Off", "this scattershot album is full of duds".

But the burning rock guitar of "Kisses Don't Lie" and haunted strings of "Unfaithful" help make A Girl Like Me much more likable.

"[34] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine felt that the album's ballads are "at least a decade too mature for the teenage singer's minor vocal talents."

He added that, despite the clever sampling on "SOS", "comparatively gooey and spineless slow numbers like "Final Goodbye" and "A Million Miles Away" kill whatever momentum the album has.

"[22] Robert Christgau of MSN Music graded the album a "dud",[84] indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought.

It also debuted at number six in the United Kingdom on the UK Albums Chart with sales of 24,000 copies on the issue dated April 24, 2006.

The album reached its peak of number five in July 2006 due to the popularity of the single "Unfaithful" and it has so far sold almost 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom.