Rihanna
Talk That Talk

Practically a year after the release of the highly successful chart-topping album "Loud," the Barbadian singer is back in the game with this new work titled "Talk that talk," an excellent successor to "Loud."

In terms of lyrics, the new work picks up on the themes of the previous one: love, sex, and unrestrained fun, and it must be admitted that this time it appears even more daring than usual. Musically, it is pleasant to note that some tracks emphasize the dark tones we appreciated in "Rated R." The first track is "You da one," the atmosphere is warm and festive with this Caribbean pop with urban nuances. "Where have you been" is a potential single with an electronic flavor whose tones become a bit too house in the choruses, the final result of the piece is powerful even though many might find it trashy. Dance tones in constant crescendo welcome us in the album's first single, "We found love," a really captivating track that is having great success in clubs and high charts, here the work of DJ Calvin Harris is clearly felt. The fourth track is the album's title track, we're talking about "Talk that talk," a real R'n'B gem with remarkable urban influences enhanced by the presence of rap by Jay Z, the one who consecrated the singer to great success with "Umbrella," the track is really energetic and the lyrics are sexually suggestive, a really well-achieved blend of rhythm and melody. The fifth track is certainly the most controversial both from a lyrically quite explicit point of view and the rhythm that presents itself as a mix between Caribbean pop and R'n'B, but overall it tends to be a bit harder to listen to compared to previous tracks. The bridge is a rap interlude by Rihanna herself that seems to mimic the style of her colleague Nicki Minaj. The sixth track "Birthday cake" lasts about a minute and allusively always deals with the topic of sex. The seventh track with more open tones and more romantic themes is pleasant to listen to, we're talking about "We all want love," the R'n'B rhythm intersects well with the choirs and the singer's voice. An almost exotic rhythm with a captivating beat leads us to the track "Drunk on love," also with a romantic flavor. Rihanna's vocalizations are really admirable and the chorus is perfect for the radio, a potential hit.

"Roc me out" is the classic urban electronic piece that cannot be missing in the singer's album, the track is really enjoyable and well-paced and in certain parts recalls the previous success "Rude boy" from the album "Rated R," even the lyrics echo the old success talking about a dirty and passionate love. Electronic Caribbean pop with urban influences is what we find in position 10, "Watch and learn" is also an easy-to-listen-to song, particularly the very repetitive chorus. "Farewell" is the track that concludes the standard version of "Talk that talk," a romantic rock ballad that proves to be an excellent break from the up-tempo electronic rhythms. The deluxe version of the album includes three more tracks, which are "Red lipstick," a mid-tempo urban R'n'B with dark shades that once again takes us back to the "Rated R" era, truly a great track. The second track is "Do ya thang" and here I agree with the idea of including it in the deluxe version because it is definitely an album filler with excessively repetitive rhythms and choirs. The last track is the romantic ballad "Fool in love," a real musical gem with dreamy atmospheres in which Rihanna addresses her parents, stating she has found the love of her life. A finale that pleasantly closes a musically varied experience in which small experiments of electronic pop "Cockiness" and Caribbean pop "Watch and learn" are not lacking.

In conclusion, it must be admitted that despite the short production times, "Talk that talk" is an appreciable work that really mixes the dark tones of "Rated R" and the dance ones of "Loud" well. The Barbadian singer proves to be a versatile and musically prolific artist.