Talk That Talk Review

TALK THAT TALK

Rihanna

2011

Def Jam, Roc Nation, SRP
Prod. by Rihanna, Carl Sturken, and Evan Rogers et. al

Rihanna's most recent effort reminds me why she's allowed to be on every song on the radio. If you aren't completely sick of hearing her voice, you really ought to check out Talk That Talk.

Reviewing Talk That Talk as a traditional album would be unfair. It's really a collection of singles that Rihanna will debut over the next year (or, if she takes cues from Katy Perry, over the next two years.) There's thematic consistency in that the songs are a collection of pop songs that express where Rihanna is emotionally right now. Namely, she's divided between being heartbroken about a failing romance and wanting to have sex with somebody. There's different subtexts and undertones that lead to a lot of the "wanting to have sex" songs possibly being about music, the industry, or drugs, but there's no inherent consistency between the artistic output on this album.

The reason Talk That Talk is cool is that, even more so than Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream", I would be totally fine hearing just about every single one of these songs an absurd number of times on the radio. Rated R and Loud had a number of tracks I found were eventually overplayed; I can't imagine feeling that way about any of the songs off of Talk That Talk. While the lion's share of the best tracks are in the first half of the album, there are still plenty of highlights in the second half to speak of.

So, a quick song-by-song to explain the way this album flows. "You Da One" is a nice dance track with elements of Caribbean music blended in. It's a decent song to enter the album on, but it's certainly not been the track I've been clamoring to hear. The follow-up, "Where Have You Been," is a dubstep-laced treat that opens with a Johnny Cash quote; Rihanna's vocals on the track all feel like the best bits of another song cut up for a remix, and she allows even those lines to be cut up for some excellent bass-heavy sections. "We Found Love" (ft. Calvin Harris as a...producer? If he has vocals on the song, I haven't heard him) is the lead single from the album, and exposes the seedier, more addictive aspects of loves that should not be while still maintaining a very upbeat and pretty sensibility. The synth wind-up that occurs before each drop is pretty awesome. "Talk That Talk" is a track that has a strong Jay-Z verse on it, but is otherwise very much a pretty standard track.

I'd continue to go song-by-song for the rest of the album, but I think this pretty well explains the sense of the album. Another notable track is "Cockiness (Love It)", which, on first blush, is just a chance to lace ridiculous innuendo throughout a dance track. However, a lot of the production decisions on "Cockiness" are pretty fantastic, reminiscent of work by folks like Major Lazer. The follow-up to that, "Birthday Cake" is also notable because it's terrible. To enjoy "Birthday Cake", you better already think "Dance (Ass)" by Big Sean is hilariously bad, as "Birthday Cake" is unquestionably a parody that is not quite as funny as the original song.

It's also worth noting that there are a few songs that definitely don't sound like dance pop tracks. Occasionally, she delves into the "If I Were A Boy" territory lain out for the pop charts by Beyoncé, and Rihanna performs admirably. It's a reminder that this girl is a strong singer at both ends of her register, though the production on the song "Drunk On Love" veers towards traditional Linkin Park and Evanescence arrangements, which is mildly disappointing.

However, this album does close strong; "Farewell" is an absolute highlight, with intelligent vocal sensibilities and some interesting production notes. Rihanna also shines on the track, making full use of the new Beyoncé-stylings to create a full-blast goodbye sorrow track. The production is just large enough to support it, and Rihanna never overextends her voice to reach the plateaus she sets out for herself.

Again, if most of these songs are on the radio next year, I'll probably be seeking them out over whatever Ke$ha and everyone else put out. The only issue with this album is that most of the best songs from this album will undoubtedly be on the radio and in grocery stores everywhere. You will probably hear all the songs on the album even if you don't know it, and you may find that you're overexposed to one or two of them. If that's enough for you, skip the album and wait till everything's on the radio. But if you want an early peek, or if you enjoy Rihanna enough to hear a collection of strong songs beyond the traditional radio format, you'd be doing yourself a disservice to not pick up Talk That Talk.

4/5

HIGHLIGHTS: "Where Have You Been", "We Found Love", "Farewell"

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: "Birthday Cake", "Watch N' Learn"

NEXT STOP: Major Lazer, "Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do"

AFTER THAT: Drake, "Take Care"