REVIEW: RIHANNA - TALK THAT TALK

First, let's get this out of the way. Yes, it's only been a year (almost exactly) since Rihanna's released her last album, Loud. Guess what, RiRi's new album Talk That Talk, due November 21st,  is her sixth in six years. You do the math. The fact of the matter is, Rihanna doesn't sell that many ALBUMS, but her singles go through the roof. So when you have a collection of good songs, which Talk That Talk has, you put them out for your fans. Enough about that. As a matter of fact, TTT is, IMHO, a much better record than Loud and probably the most satisfying pop-record of Rihanna's since 2008's Good Girl Gone Bad. Of course, I prefer Rated R, but I like dark songs. Okay. Talk That Talk has already produced Rihanna's 11th #1 single, We Found Love, currently in its third week on top, and her second single, the bright and sunny You Da One, is well on it's way to being her 12th. The thing that strikes me about this record is its sheer volume of potential hits. Where Have You Been is a club jam with the trademark Rihanna's "yeah"s all over it and enough electro-fuzz to fill a club for the whole summer. The title track has a dark, menacing sound with a lengthy NSFW intro added by mentor Jay-Z equally suggestive lyrics crooned by Rihanna. Speaking of suggestive, the UBER-sexual Cockiness(Love It) is one of the dirtiest songs I've heard in a long, long time. With lyrics like "suck my cockiness, lick my persuasion" and the repeated chant "I love it, I love it, I love it when you eat it" there is little left to the imagination as to what this song is about. I blush! Well, it doesn't stop there. Birthday Cake rivals any song Janet Jackson has ever done about her vagina. Yes, she just said, "I wanna f*ck you right now" in that song. You heard her right. Okay. That's three in a row. Whew. After that one-two-three punch we get a ballad. We All Want Love is a simple, love song about finding the one and only. Because it comes after three super-dirty little tunes it almost makes it boring by comparison, which is a shame because it's actually a pretty song. Drunk on Love takes us to a little more interesting place sonically and lyrically. Mid-tempo beats, electro-blurbs and a solid vocal performance by RiRi makes this a potential single release for sure. Reminds me a little of Rehab from Good Girl Gone Bad. Roc Me Out is back to the "give it to me like I want it" theme that we hear often in the past and on this album from Rihanna. It's good though!! Don't get me wrong. Rihanna can pull off slutty like nobody else right now. Slutty is fun sometimes, especially with lyrics like "I've been a bad girl, daddy. Won't you come get me". Ahem. Watch and Learn sounds a little like a Beyonce song on her album 4. Slightly retro, but updated and sexy. Oh, and it's kinda dirty too. Who would have guessed. The album closer, Farewell, is a gorgeous ballad and a nice comedown from the aggressive come-ons on the album. Nicely produced and performed. So, yes, overall I would say Rihanna has upped her game since Loud and is showing no signs of giving up her reign on the Billboard charts anytime soon. You Da One is available on iTunes now and you can listen and read the lyrics below.