Rihanna "Talk That Talk"

      The sun made music that helped launch the career of, in her words, A Girl Like Me. Then we have watched this gorgeous good girl go bad, make an album that was rated Rated R, and get a little Loud! Basically, we have not only watched this girl grow up in front of our eyes and grown up with her, but watch her musical style mature as well. Her third record was probably one of her most successful; that came out before she hit 20, but I preferred the two records that followed more.                                                                    Now, from the album cover to some of the subject matter we can tell that RiRi is in the mood to Talk That Talk. The first song has a slower pace than what we have come to expect from her singles, but that fact, the carribean vibe and slight dub is what makes it single material; which it was. “You Da One” to listen to when people think that faithful love is gone. If I made a joke about why this single wasn’t successful, because it didn’t take off right away, people would be like “Where Have You Been?” The energy, the techno house sound, or the funky synths’s no wonder why it has been successful; I would say just Breathe Carolina, you don’t want to faint. Calvin Harris is featured in this song, and helped produce this lovely gem, or yellow diamond, as well. “We Found Love” sounds so happy if you ignore the video, or the fact that they found love in a hopeless place. The title track has to be one of my favorites on the record, and it is not just because Hova is featured in this song, or his verses : “Shawty must’ve heard, got the word, I move that D/ Had it by a bladder, she like 'oh I gotta pee"; I liked his whole verse, but that line was my favorite. It was the mid-tempo horny synths, and its beat; some call it futuristic, but it’s just different. This song exuberates “Cockiness (Love It).” I’m not exactly sure if I can say I do when it comes to the lyrics, which  say “I love it, I love it/I love it when you eat it” sung through a big part of the song. How much more explicit can you get? The play on words of the chorus is nice, and so is the rest of the song; if you are sensitive to the subject and can ignore that part you will enjoy it. This “Birthday Cake” may be just as explicit, but it is not as sweet; it is short though.                                                                                                                                                     I must say that the sequencing of this song after the previous two makes a powerful statement! “We All Want Love;” even that girl who has no idea how to show their affection for someone except through sex (this is not directed at anyone in particular, so stop assuming! I’m sure you may know someone like that though). I must be either “Drunk On Love” with this song, which samples intro from xx, or maybe I’m just in a trance from the tenacious drums and synths. “Roc Me Out” seems like it should be Rated R, but for different reasons; it sounds like it would fit pretty well with that record for its tone, and that’s a compliment.  It hurts to say “Farewell’ to the album, but the song is a different story; from the vocal delivery to the soaring arrangement. I have to say that the album exceeded expectations; I have been a fan for a while, but sometimes when an artist releases albums with less than a year apart they often are less than stellar. The bonus tracks, are just as good as those on the traditional album. Not only does RiRi rock that “Red Lipstick” well, but wherever I may roam I will think of those freezing, whirring synths. Even though we have heard something like this before I like how you “Do Ya Thing.” The reinterpolation of the intro to Bohemian Rhapsody in arrangement and lyrics pique your interest, and the second half brings that dream to life with a full guitar solo.Ooooooh Rock Cred!