Rihanna "Talk That Talk" Review

After last years critically acclaimed record “Loud”, Rihanna is back for her sixth studio album “Talk That Talk” which will be released in stores November 21st.

Incorporating various genres such as hip-hop, R&B, electro, dancehall and dubstep, “Talk That Talk” is a diverse sounding record with enough tracks to keep Rihanna all over the radio.

The albums lead single “We Found Love”, is a beat driven, dance-pop track produced and written by Scottish DJ Calvin Harris. Playing like a house track, the sound of this record is essentially what the majority of “Talk That Talk” sounds like except not as good.

Most of the tracks have an electronic and dubstep vibe to them as Rihanna moves away from her roots and experiments with different sounds. While I respect Rihanna for wanting to evolve as an artist and try different things, I believe “Talk That Talk” to be a step down for Rihanna and her weakest album to date, especially when compared to her last two offerings “Rated R” and “Loud.”

While I feel the album is not the best from Rihanna, there are still strong points on “Talk That Talk” such as the opening song and next single off the album “You Da One.” The only song with any sort of Caribbean sound, the track has a mid-tempo bounce and is extremely catchy with a dubstep breakdown towards the end of the song.

Another song on the record which I could see getting significant airplay is the title track featuring Jay-Z and the first of three songs produced by StarGate. Rihanna and Jay-Z have collaborated in the past on songs such as “Run This Town” and “Umbrella” and I'm sure “Talk That Talk” will receive the same acclamation as their previous works.

The next two songs on the album I did not enjoy and feel are the two weakest tracks on the album and they are “Cockiness (Love It)” produced by Bangladesh and the distorted electro interlude “Birthday Cake” produced by The-Dream and Da Internz.

The problem I felt with “Cockiness (Love It) is not so much Rihanna as it is Bangladesh's beat. Although it is uptempo, the track features a weird transition and the lyrics are to similar to Katy Perry's “Peacock” in terms of shock value. Going the obscene route, Rihanna sings “Suck my cockiness Lick my persuasion” but it fails to deliver and is not my favorite.

The No I.D. track “We All Want Love” slows the album down a bit and could be released down the line as a future single. A radio friendly track filled with positivity, Rihanna's vocal ability shines through on the chorus and is a highlight on the album.

“Drunk On Love” returns to the trance inspired beats and “Roc Me Out” is hip-hop inspired as both tracks are provided by StarGate.

The last track on “Talk That Talk” is “Farewell” and is a slowed down ballad. Rihanna's vocal talents once again standout and this track is undoubtably going to be played on the radio at some point next year. Similar in vein to other Alex Da Kid produced tracks such as “Love The Way You Lie” by Eminem, “Coming Home” by Diddy Dirty-Money and T.I.'s “Castle Walls” the song is piano driven with slight tempo synths.

Overall, I do feel “Talk That Talk” is a step backwards for Rihanna, as I did not enjoy this record as much as her previous two. However, there are still enough stand alone tracks to enjoy which I'm sure will dominate the radio in the upcoming months.

Ranked on the Beavis and Butt-Head Scale:
2.5 Beavis' out of 5 Butt-Head's

Songs I Recommend:
You Da One, We Found Love, Talk That Talk, Drunk On Love, Farewell

Tracklist:
1. You Da One
2. Where Have You Been
3. We Found Love ft. Calvin Harris
4. Talk That Talk ft. Jay-Z
5. Cockiness (Love It)
6. Birthday Cake
7. We All Want Love
8. Drunk On Love
9. Roc Me Out
10. Watch N' Learn
11. Farewell