Rihanna has come a long way from her bubble gum pop start. She emerged from the abyss of second-tier R&B divas and became a bonafide rock star, dominating the market alongside an unstoppable King Beyoncé. With every dramatic haircut, she’s shed more clothes and inhibition, and her signature sound has become darker and moodier. She’s now cranked out 20 singles that have landed on the Billboard 100 Top 10 singles, faster than Madonna nabbed her slew of Top 10’s. Her sixth studio album, Talk That Talk, arrives just one year after the release of the uber-successful Loud. Although the assembly line timing may leave people wondering why so soon, it’s another solid collection, complete with radio hits, club bangers, and introspective ballads on her favorite subjects: love and sex.
It’s clear that Rihanna listens to the same music as the cool kids, from New York’s downtown hipster to the European night club raver. She swerves into M.I.A.’s lane with the album opener, “You Da One,” 
as her monotone complements an island beat that nods Musical Youth’s “Pass The Dutchie.” The track is followed by “Where Have You Been,” one of her best songs to date. Once the Electronica beat kicks in, she glides over the song like some club kids rocking glow sticks. The party seamlessly continues with her hit, “We Found Love.” Although she sings of “yellow diamonds in the light,” the video for her single flashes scenes of a destructive relationship, with a platinum-haired love interest eerily resembling Chris Brown.
When Rihanna’s not talking love, she’s talking lust. She enlists Jay-Z for the album’s title track . He seems like the only man able to match her bravado: “I sell out arenas, I call that getting dome.” She further proves why she was voted “Sexiest Woman Alive” by Esquire—and why Drake and J. Cole can’t seem to get her off their minds—on the all-too brief “Birthday Cake.” She leaves a blueprint of what she wants done to her body, but the track fades to black before she give explicit instructions. On the Bangladesh-produced “Cockiness,” she picks up where she left off: “Suck my cockiness, lick my persuasion.” She mellows the sexiness on the album highlight “Watch N Learn,” a sleeker version of “Rude Boy” with a Neptunes feel. Perhaps she’ll get some Star Trak love on her seventh album.
But even the baddest girls want love. On the Pop-Rock anthem “We All Want Love,” she sheds her sexy armor and becomes a girl writing in her diary. The track’s blaring guitar riff was made for a sea of camera phones waving in a stadium arena. She rocks with British super producer Jamie xx (who also produced “Take Care,” her duet with Drake) on “Drunk On Love,” and even refers to herself as a hopeless romantic.
Talk That Talk is another blockbuster to add to Rihanna’s collection. Was it needed so soon after Loud? Probably not. It will delight fans and she will easily maintain her top spot. But RihRih might want to take a nap after this one, before her winning formula suffers exhaustion.
I actually thought this was way better than “Loud.” My favorite R&B singer, female-wise.
Urban radio is going to eat up “Birthday Cake” and “Cockiness(Love It)”
birthday cake has to be my favorite…catchy as hell and the-dream’s beat has spaced out synths everywhere…
Brainwashing society…
I thought this was a HIPHOP site????
i think Britney’s last album is way better… btw isn’t it a hiphop site?
1 star. YOU RUIN HIPHOP
It kills me when the fucking Jedi Mind Tricks fans stop killing homosexuals and start commenting again.
look like somebody busted a nut on her face lol
Not bad. I definitely respect how she puts out an album every single year. I wish more artists showed that type of commitment.
Tech9!!!!
When you don’t write your own music its easy to sing a song someone tells you how to sing.
harder and more hip hop than drakes album
Besides the fact that Rihanna isn’t hip hop, her music is terrible. She can’t sing for shit, uses terrible beats and sells a slut image to little girls.
SHE CANT SING OR RAP BUT I STILL DO OH GAVE THE ALBUM 5 STARS BUT NEVER LISTEN TO IT
damn dx is just teasing
lol this shit is crap compared to my shit…ain’t that right Jay Z?
Wtf HipHopDX? Why are you sleeping on the other big album that came out this week? Speak Now – World Live Tour by Taylor Swift? Come on.
It deserves at least a 4 just for the cover though. Booiiiing…
this aint rap
Does anyone have a problem with the fact that Rihanna does not write most of her tracks. What can you really critique, its not her words.
eh any chance we could get a review on Idle Warship’s Habits of the Heart album?
Can we please get a review of Childish Gambino’s Camp ? You know the dude who did 50K first week ? You know I am talking about one of the best albums of the year ?
Seriously. Dude hit #2 on the iTunes chart and you guys ain’t covering him? Is there some kind of conspiracy we should know about?
this. why you lettin us down hhdx?
#2 ON ITUNES?
OKay well Rihanna hit #1 on tunes in 20 COUNTRIES the first 2 days she was out… so…… come again?
sounds better then drake
I agree %100. How can you not like this, but like Drake’s ovulation of an album? I don’t get it.
I thought this was hip hop.
Not hip-hop, but I’d rather listen to this album than Mac Miller’s pop album.
REVIEW CHILDISH GAMBINO – CAMP WTF
Lowkey – Soundtrack To The Struggle
Real music!
why the FUCK would you review an album like this on a hiphop site?! GARBAGE, BYE!
aaannd yet he/she is back tomorrow or in the near future
People come back because there is no competition. Serious gap in the market for a site that actually reviews hip hop albums – and reasonably soon after they come out would be nice
Is it me or does Rihanna look like she has nut on her face on the album cover? Just sayin..
yes indeed it is…i must admit and take credit.
love it
Rihanna > Mac Miller
Don’t have the album but I think Royce can match the bravado that Jay-z has but maybe more funnier.
Royce has fallen off. After the trash album with Eminem I won’t buy anything of his.
with every track comes nothing but sex wit the exception of like 2! lol
now all im saying is think about the age bracket shes putting a dent in.. :/
LOUD dropped exactly a year ago with the same concept tho i think “Talk That Talk” is prolly much worse lol…
tho i will say if given the opportunity to FACK….i would 🙂
Love her..
I know you don’t care what your readers think DX, and that for this reason you probably won’t read this comment, but why have you reviewed this pile of shit and not Childish Gambino’s album?
Because he’s a fag and for crackers like u.
I would bang Rihanna
THIS ALBUM IS AMAZING. If you dont like Rihanna you shouldnt be talking, it doesnt make any sense.. you wont like anything she does so just get over yourself.
She looks like she’s ready to goggle up all of our penises, 1st!
rihanna talk that talk to me black beauty
rihanns is obv very horny. good music to fuck to. otherwise its garbage. Pop music shouldnt be on this site. lets keep it hiphop
HIP HOP AKA MOBB DEEP 3 STARS?
POP AKA RIHANNA 3.5 STARS?
FUCK DX!
LOVE IT!
One of the best R&B/pop albums ever!
It’s so amazing! I LOVE ALL THE SONGS!
RIHANNA, YOU BAD BEYOTCH! AMAMAMAZIZIZIZIZNNGNGNG!
This album is undoubtably one of the best of 2011, Rihanna cements herself truly in the music hall of fame.
yeah sure, she can go and join bruno mars,david guetta and drake in the Sh*tty music hall of fame- she has no right asnd has given no reason to be put in the same place as the beatles, the beastie boys,bob marley or anybody with any actual talent and writing skills
So good!
rihanna is the poster child for the garbage that gets played all over,she has all the characteristics: she doesn’t write her own lyrics,creates none of the instrumentals, uses machines to enhance of otherwise bad vocals, puts on a fake public persona that changes depending on the songs being written for her
All true. She’s just a corny popstar to me.
Nothing raw, soulful or original bout her music. I lost respect for Eminem when he sold out and did that track with her. Sell-out move, cuz he always dissed corny popstars.
This is another good album, but it does nothing to help elevate her as an artist
this album is clearly chock full of hits…that rihanna reign just won’t let up (and it shouldn’t, because she is clearly amazing)
*yawns at beYAWNce*
still digesting it
MERDA!!!!
Merda!!!! 😛