R&B sensation Rihanna is not looking to end her historic chart dominance anytime soon. The “S&M” singer has just released her sixth studio album, Talk That Talk, only a year after her previous effort. The new album mixes many genres including hip-hop, R&B, pop and dubstep in a very unique way to give the artist a collection of tracks that separate themselves from anything she has tried before. Preceded by the number one hit, “We Found Love”, and “You Da One”, the project is a clear improvement from the artist’s previous top ten album. Rihanna feels comfortable here and should be thanking her producers and features guests for the help.
Right out the gate, “You Da One” gives the album a disappointing start. The track scared me a bit; I thought I was going to be hearing this type of song over and over again. I am glad I didn’t. The song sounds as if it would have fit in perfectly with the tracks on Loud or the artist’s first album. There is just nothing impressive here; however, the last minute of the piece is one to be heard. “Where Have You Been” starts off a moody ballad but quickly turns into a fabulous, club track that will get people dancing, there is even a infectious breakdown in the middle, much like the lead single. The vocals showcased are very nice, but I think the lyrical material falls flat unfortunately. The success of the song lies in the beat and production and not really on the artist which is kind of sad. The lead single, “We Found Love feat. Calvin Harris”, was a refreshing preview to Rihanna’s brand new material. The song has a depressing message of love buried within, but just like the preceding track, the song hit number one because of the accompanying dance beat and the genius of the featured guest. I feel that Rihanna does not sing for most of it and I am just leave with emptiness. When lyrics are sung, they sound beautiful, but there is not much depth here. Jay-Z returns to help out on an spiritual sequel to “Umbrella”. The title track shows Rihanna giving her best hip-hop impersonation, a side of the artist I am still trying to give a chance. The track does not really grab my attention from the beginning and even Jay-Z’s verses are shockingly disappointing. The hooks do not really do anything here, some amateur rhyming. These two could have done better than a “Rude Boy” copycat. The vulgar and explicit “Cockiness (Love It)” is deliciously sexy with lyrics that may make anyone question if they heard correctly. The song does get annoyingly repetitive at points, but the performance is pretty damn good. The artist’s freaky side is coming out in full force and I think her audience will love it just as much as her. The male vocals could have been done without, but that is really the only problem I can find with this risqué song. Coming in at under two minutes, I do not know if I should classify “Birthday Cake” as a legit full track. There is nothing to get too excited about here and it just comes and goes with nothing more than the word “bitch”. Next!
The second half of the album focuses on ballads, starting with the slow, promising start of “We All Want Love”, a nice distraction from the “in your face” sexual lyrics of the previous tracks. I have never felt that Rihanna has the best voice, was not impressed when I saw her live, but here her vocals come off easily and sound comforting. I think this is one of the few times in her career where she really lets her performance come first. An overall good track. The album continues with “Drunk on Love”, a touching track that I feel could have the chance at being an official single in the future. Rihanna gives a very haunting performance and the song did nothing but impress me. The song has a hypnotic hook and the chorus only adds to its greatness, this may be one of the best moments on the entire effort. It just comes off effortless and smooth. “Roc Me Out” starts off like a gothic, dark track from the 90s, which is not necessarily a bad comparison. The chorus is the main highlight of the song because unfortunately the rest is just not that great. I feel that the song was leftover material from the Rated R sessions; it carries that same sound and vibe. However; this is better than most of what appear on that project. I am torn between it. Loud was filled with a Caribbean influence- which was the main reason I gave the album a low rating- that rating returns on “Watch n’ Learn”. The song shows Rihanna telling her man exactly how the way she likes it, there are no exceptions. The track is another dirty, raunchy sex song, but it has already been done early on in the album and this song seems disposable and unneeded. I think I will pass. The standard edition ends with “Farewell”, another show-stopping ballad that was needed in this experimental project. The song is telling the love of the artist’s life goodbye, she is obviously going to miss whoever she let go. You can hear vulnerability in the artist’s vocals and you get nothing but emotion throughout the whole song. The song is a nice way to conclude the album. Another true gem that showcases the early Rihanna.
Talk That Talk is another album where Rihanna introduces a reinvented sound, but I feel that the artist is still struggling to find herself. Rihanna does not have the best vocals and has never been one to perform amazingly when live, but this project is a vast improvement from her disappointing last effort. While the sure-to-be hit songs do not carry much lyrical depth, they do showcase some brilliant production, but Rihanna is not the one that should be commended for that. The album features some show-stopping numbers, but most of it gets weighed down by a generic sound, nothing too impressive or innovative. Better than Loud? Yes. Best of 2011? Not by a long shot. The album receives an 80%.
Tracks to Hear: “We Found Love feat. Calvin Harris”, “Drunk on Love” and “Farewell”
Rihanna - Drunk On Love
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