Something can be said for music that makes you feel good. "Talk
That Talk" is a combination of hot dance tracks, and traditional
Rihanna pop numbers. High energy and fast paced for the most part,
it's a great mark of Rihanna's evolution as an artist and woman,
and a tribute to her stability in life.
There's no real exposition of her strong vocals or any heart-heavy
ballads, like we've heard in the past. But as a testament to
Rihanna's talent displayed thus far, I think she can get away with
passing on those elements for this album. We know she can sing. We
know she can tear up a slow jam...but for now, we just want to
dance.
1) You Da One ~ This has a slight island vibe to it, which is
always appreciated from Rihanna. Although she rarely goes all out
into a full reggae or soca track (not since the early days of her
career), I do think it's important that each of her albums attempts
to contain an element of her Caribbean heritage.
2) Where Have You Been ~ She sets the tone for the album with a
dance track, letting the listeners know that she's going all the
way there...almost to the point of trance and out of the pop realm.
She wants you to dance. She wants you to feel good, and she makes
this very clear early in the album.
3) We Found Love ~ This song is seriously hot! Loved it from the
first time I heard it. Love the energy, love the video, love the
pace of it. It's the kind of song you can get lost in.
4) Talk That Talk ~ This song is cool. Didn't love it immediately,
but know it will grow on me with the right presentation (video,
live, or otherwise). The end breakdown segment is dope...very
dancehall-esq. The rest...your average Rihanna/rapper collabo. Even
if that rapper is Jay-Z, the track is just aright.
5) Cockiness ~ Whoa whoa whoa. Vulgarity from the jump! Suck
wha...? Well, it wouldn't be a Rihanna album without a song or two
sexually going over the top. Being provocative has kinda become her
thing. Well, not her "main" thing, but at least a "side" thing. So
this song is partially an expectation at this point...while still
being borderline uncomfortable. I remember feeling uncomfortable
for the mothers accompanying their 10-year-old daughters to the
Rihanna "Loud" tour's stop in Toronto due to similarly provocative
content. But it is what it is...she's grown, she is a fan of
expressing this side of herself, and it makes for an interesting
song, nonetheless. Sounds like a sure shot strip club anthem to me.
6) Birthday Cake ~ OK, so another song that will make an audio
appearance at King and Diamonds and other establishments of that
nature. "Sounds" sexy, and the lyrical content matches. Truth be
told, almost sounds like Beyonce could rock this as her own. I
wanted to hear where this song was going, but it ends abruptly.
Almost too abruptly like an error, or an unintended interlude.
7) We All Want Love ~ This is a nice peace-n-love feel good
Olympics type song. Nothing spectacular, but pleasant lyrics and a
"nice" feeling as a result.
8) Drunk on Love ~ Definitely my favourite song on the album. Nice
vibe right from the start, with a hint of 80's synth and drums. I
love mood music, and think this is definitely movie soundtrack
worthy...the breakdown in particular is tight.
9) Roc Me Out ~ A strong song, and another high energy track. A bit
forgettable, as even as I'm writing this...I forget which one it
was! But fundamentally, I remember it was a good song.
10) Watch n Learn ~ This one was interesting, and again, I
appreciated the slight reggae undertone to it. It's no "Man Down"
but a good attempt at bringing in that vibe.
11) Farewell ~ This is surprisingly the only read ballad-like song
on the album. Again, an average song, and the vocals aren't
particularly impressive...but a nice song. As this wraps up the
album, you can see that while she committed to themes of love and
passion, she wasn't going there from a place of extreme
vulnerability, but moreso from a place of recognition, celebration,
and partially diving into the core of the emotion.
The album imagery completely compliments this mood of potential
disaster yet total emotional intoxication.While the songs
themselves paint a picture, and develop overtime, so is the story
that is Rihanna's career and visual metamorphosis.
(Reviewed by Stacey Marie Robinson.)