Album Review: Rihanna, Talk That Talk

23 November 2011

by Poppy Reid

Releasing an album a year for the past six years, Rihanna’s consistency has been matched only by her versatility.

Originally marketed as a reggae singer when she came into public consciousness with her 2005 single Pon de Replay, the Bajan singer has since weaved ‘80s new-wave, dance-pop, R ‘n’ B, rock-pop and even gothic-horror in her following four releases. While her sixth album is undoubtedly a departure from last year’s Loud, Talk That Talk attunes all her past influences in what presents itself as a hybrid of past dabblings.

Second single You Da One reverts back to the 23-year-old’s roots with sunny reggae and dull percussion while Where Have You Been begins with a tip of the hat to her 2009 Rated R record; dark Disturbia-reminiscent undertones and deep vocals oddly segue into a dubstep backing one minute in for what translates as a trend reaction to Beyonce’s Major Lazer sampling in Who Run The World (Girls).

It’s clear Talk That Talk was a passion project for Calvin Harris, his production and creative trademarks can be heard right through the record; even the electro-house track he features on (We Found Love) could have been his own, with Rihanna acting as the cameo.

Her Jay-Z collaboration, I Got A Story To Tell is a delightful throwback to ‘80s R ‘n’ B, the pair sample Notorious B.I.G to offer all that was celebrated and ballsy about the genre when it first hit the mainstream.

Cockiness (Love) is perhaps the only dubious inclusion as Rihanna joins the Katy Perry’s and Ke$ha’s of the U.S. commercial realm with lyrics like: "suck my cockiness, lick my persuasion…I love it when you eat it.” Conversely, the starlet could sing about brown paper bags in her inimitable tone with androgynous inflections and we would still call it perfection. If Rihanna has taught us one thing over her six-year career, it’s that lyrical aptitude is irrelevant.

Rihanna’s slow-paced tracks predominantly hit the mark and rival her past ballads, especially on We All Want Love which was recorded in multiple hotel rooms while on tour. Drunk On Love samples Intro by English duo The XX and while the indie kids were an intriguing selection they seem to carry her throughout, turning what could have been a whining bore into a driving force-fight of classic and modern R ‘n’ B.

Talk That Talk has enough in-your-face choruses, ooh na na’s and moody middle eights to satiate her Navy (Rihanna's pet name for her fanbase) but with Rihanna's various facets all on show here, this 11-track album can be difficult to tackle in one setting. Thankfully though, the brand that is Rihanna is packaged and marketed for a drip-fed, single-minded approach.