Rihanna: Talk That Talk - Album Review

Rihanna
Talk That Talk
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

It's interesting to find out that Rihanna has surpassed Madonna for most Top Ten singles in the shortest amount of time. When you compare Rihanna to other pop stars, she is curiously difficult to pinpoint. Unlike Madonna, she is not really known for changing her persona and musical style to make or comply with trends; unlike Whitney Houston, Xtina, and Mariah Carey, Rihanna doesn't have the powerhouse vocals; which means she falls more towards stars like Britney and Janet Jackson, who have passable voices but seem to know what the pulse of Top 40 radio is like. So far into her short career, Rihanna has barely made a misstep, always releasing a track that comes a part of the collective conscious. With her sixth studio album, Talk That Talk, nothing really has changed for Rihanna. It is a diverse collection of mostly upbeat dance tunes that technically has little to no originality in its collective bones, however, there is just something about Rihanna that always lifts what could be tiresome banality in lesser hands into pop gold.

First single "We Found Love" is a perfect example. It is standard house music fare, using pretty much boilerplate beats and synth chords, but there is such a lovely longing and resignation in Rihanna's voice when she sings "We found love in a hopeless place."



She gives just the right amount edge to the driving dance track "Where Have You Been" which plays like the psychotic cousin to Robyn's "Dancing On My Own," with Rihanna's desperation increasing over the course of the song.



Thankfully, Talk That Talk is a return to the more grounded Rihanna, and has little of the dark undercurrent found in her last two post-Chris Brown albums. That is not to say that Rihanna has given up her darker/kinkier side. She still flirts with a more ribald side. Bangladesh-produced track "Cockiness (Love It)" is a 3 minute come-on, imploring her prey to "suck my cockiness/lick my persuasion."



"Birthday Cake" is barely 80 seconds of high-octane seduction.



While "Watch N' Learn" basically provides Rihanna's blueprint for an evening of pleasure.



There are a few generic tracks that slow down the fun that Talk That Talk provides. The slightly country-esque "We All Want Love" sounds one note and bland, while "Farewell" leans far too heavily on a booming drum track to try and disguise the fact that the song is Diane Warren-lite. And lead track "You Da One," aside from a late in the game dubstep breakdown, is a strange attempt to remind fans of Rihanna's Caribbean roots.

Talk That Talk is more fun when Rihanna's producers put things together that shouldn't work. The xx sampling "Drunk On Love" takes what could be a fairly typical pop ballad and adds just the right amount of edge, working when on paper it should fail miserably. When Romy and Oliver's vocals enter the background it is pure pop perfection.



"Roc Me Out" adds a darker palette of synths that perfectly compliment Rihanna's delivery:



The title track with Jay Z is basically the two old friends having a laugh, Jay Z spitting out some of the silliest lines of his life, but is so laid back and fun, it coasts by on attitude alone.



Talk That Talk is just a strange pop album. Its disparate elements shouldn't work well together, but somehow, through sheer force of talent and will, it coalesces into a truly good record. Rihanna hasn't sounded so loose and free in a couple of years, and it is nice to see her moving past her problems and enjoying performing, which comes across loud and clear on this album.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.