The Barbadian songstress continues her never-ending onslaught of almost annual releases with "Talk That Talk", her sixth studio album. Like most urban pop albums nowadays, the album was produced by a manner of hit producers from the dance and hip-hop world including Calvin Harris, Terius "The-Dream" Nash , and even indie sensations the xx. Let's take a look at "Talk That Talk".
The first track, "You Da One" reveals that not all of the singer's dancehall roots have been replaced. The song is very classic Rihanna; and sounds almost like a track off of her first album, 2005's "Music of the Sun". Fairly standard sounding song from Rihanna. Next up is the trance-like "Where Have You Been", showing more of Rihanna's evolution towards European dance music. The blends acid house and trance, showing those genres recent revival in pop music (think LMFAO). Good track, and very danceable. The song even includes a nod to the late Johnny Cash with a simulated country guitar and the lyrics, "I've been everywhere man". Lead single "We Found Love" continues the influence of 1990s dance music with a decidedly "Balearic" sound that would not sound out of place in Ibiza circa the early 1990s. The song is quite simply stunning, with a highly infectious and pumping beat that instantly brings to mind summer love and late nights clubbing.
Aging Jay-Z guests on title-track "Talk That Talk" with mixed results. Jigga seems to be somewhat running out of steam, although his flow certainly retains the usual swagger and bravado that we all love about him. Rihanna sounds slightly deflated as well; as if her begging for sexual/romantic satisfaction lacks authenticity. The song is the most classic hip-hop on the album; with vintage hip-hop stuttering drums and deep bass sounds. Not bad, but slightly pass due. "Cockiness (Love It)" shows Rihanna's increasing post-"S & M" freakishness. The song uses liberal use of sexual innuendo, with references to licking Rihanna's "persuasion" and eat what one can only assume to be her ummmm persuasion. The song is not bad, but really does not add much to the album. The almost sexual "suite" continues with "Birthday Cake", a short synthesizer-driven romp that sounds like a cross between Lady Gaga and Kelis. Rihanna ends the song prematurely just before dropping the F-bomb. So much for the sweet teen sensation from Barbados.
"We All Want Love" slows down the album, "showcasing" Rihanna's warble in all of its glory. The song shows the more sweet and sappy side of Rihanna, moaning about the importance of love over slightly Kanye-like tribal electronic drums. The guitar does not really add much to the song; and feels almost tacked-on. The song was very disappointing and almost sounded like a vintage Black Eyed Peas song from the early 2000s. "Drunk On Love" continues Rihanna's exploration of often optimistic view of love. Production comes from London-based indie outfit "the xx". The sound simply sounds like an xx song with Rihanna singing, and sounds very out of place on the album. However, I did enjoy the experimental nature of the song and it provided a nice break from the overtly dance/hip-hop dominated album. "Roc Me Out" shows Rihanna in full swagger mode, again showing that Rihanna definitely has an obsession with all things concerning rough sex and domination. The song makes use of cutting bass punctured by arpeggios. The song is quite enjoyable. "Watch N' Learn" was slightly creepy for me, the song seems to concern sexual voyeurism and possibly threesomes. The childish almost marimba-like keyboards sounded very dated and silly. Additionally, with laughable lyrics and a very simplistic beat, the song cannot really be recommended. "Farewell" brings to mind the influence of Adele, with Rihanna lamenting about loss in love. The song lacked any really sparkle, and the drums sound quite murky with extremely lame and cheesy keyboards. Rihanna reveals her vocal limitations on this track, sounding more Fergie than anyone else. Skip this one.
"Talk That Talk" contains too much filler to be recommended for a purchase. With only really one standout track (We Found Love), you could probably do better than to buy this fairly generic mishmash.
Rating-4.5/10
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