Here at MTV News, we’ve described Rihanna as “immaculate,” “a glowing goddess,” and “the coolest woman in the world” who “transcends sexiness” and “isn’t like anyone else.”

Chris Martin’s take on Bad Girl RiRi is a little more, uh, unique — he likens her to “a beautifully squeezed tube of toothpaste.”

During a recent interview with The Guardian, Martin gushed about RiRi, whom he duetted with on Coldplay’s 2011 track “Princess of China.” Ever the passionate poet, Martin was nothing but entirely complimentary, calling Rihanna “the Frank Sinatra of our generation.”

“She can turn anything into gold with that voice,” he said. “Here’s the thing: if you speak to a good singing teacher about great opera singers, they will talk about consistency of tone ... Rihanna has this thick tone, so it’s very hard to annoy anybody. It’s like a beautifully squeezed tube of toothpaste.”

OK, yes, it’s a head-scratching simile ... but allow Martin to explain further:

“When you think of Rihanna’s voice you think of this whole, rich thing, solid like a tree trunk. Drake is pretty similar,” he continued. “But Rihanna’s voice is just delicious for your ear. Sinatra had the same thing; anything he sang sounded pleasing to most people.”

I mean ... where’s the lie?