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Celeb News: 'Talk That Talk' reviews
ATRL Moderator
Member Since: 2/19/2003
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Quote:
Originally posted by DG1
Pitchfork - "Talk That Talk" Review
Talk That Talk feels unsuitably robotic. Heavy on filler even though it's only 11 tracks long, Rihanna's sixth album feels not only slight but muddled, an assortment of half-baked ideas that never bloom.
By Lindsay Zoladz
"We found love in a hopeless place." Over a frantic, Calvin Harris-produced, Guetta-meets-"Sandstorm" beat on her sixth record's lead-off single, Rihanna repeats these words almost 20 times. "We Found Love" ranks among Ri's best singles because it recognizes that there's not much more that needs to be said: in three and a half minutes, the line moves from being a great pop lyric to a triumphant mantra to something suggestive of a whole spectrum of unspoken emotion. The best pop music transports you to somewhere beyond words, and Rihanna's strongest singles are all seem to be in on this secret. Need I remind you of some of her most powerful hooks: Ella-ella-ella-ay. Oh-na-na. Ay-ayy-ay-ayy-ay-ayy.
But as anyone with a Twitter handle will tell you, these are chatty times, and in 2011, the pop landscape's fittingly caught between two maximalist extremes: the winking theatricality of Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry, and the dribbling confessional-pop of Drake, Kanye West, and (yes, they're more alike than they'd like to believe) Taylor Swift. Barbados-born, millions-selling, armfuls-of-awards-winning Rihanna has found staggering success (23 years old; eleven #1 singles and rising) borrowing a little bit from each of these tendencies. Her recent music videos have dabbled in trendy pop artifice (check out her neon-hued, irresistibly smiley turn in Guetta’s "Who’s That Chick?" or the David LaChapelle-aping-- literally-- "S&M"), while her brooding and personal 2009 album Rated R commented-- however obliquely-- on her public struggles. Rihanna seems more comfortable flitting between these two extremes than settling on either, but her past two albums have at least had some thematic cohesion. The same can't be said of Talk That Talk: Heavy on filler though it's only 11 tracks long, it feels not only slight but muddled, an assortment of half-baked ideas that never bloom. A stitched-together collection of club bangers, sleaze-pop missteps, and mid-tempo inspirational ballads, Talk That Talk feels at times like three different records, only one of which might have been any good.
Of course, what we're supposed to be talking is about how this is Rihanna's "dirtiest" album yet. Early blog chatter reported to lots of critics blushing in preview listening sessions and making questionably bold declarations ("The dirtiest pop album since Madonna's Erotica!") that suggested that they listen to very little pop radio, or that they have never been to an R. Kelly concert. Talk That Talk's raunchier moments should surprise no one: Rihanna's always been singing about sex-- she's just never shown such an unfortunate proclivity for cheesy lyrics and dessert metaphors. "Suck my cockiness/ Lick my persuasion," Ri commands on the embarrassingly literal "Cockiness (I Love It)", hoping the boldness of the delivery will distract you from thinking about what a clunky line it is (it won't, though Bangladesh's beats might). The Esther Dean-penned "Drunk on Love" features a weak chorus lyric and vocal whose bombast feels out of place in the track's laid back, xx-sampling atmosphere. Clocking in at a puzzling-yet-merciful one minute and 18 seconds, The-Dream co-produced "Birthday Cake" is even more heavy-handed (lots of icing puns). There are flickers of empowerment here, but mostly it proves little more than the fact that a female artist can be responsible for Jeremih-grade cheese, too. A Rihanna album has never been without the occasional lyrical misfire ("Sex in the air/ I don't care/ I love the smell of it" comes to mind), but at least on a track like "S&M" she sounds like she's having fun. For a record so preoccupied with passion and pleasure, most of Talk That Talk feels unsuitably robotic.
At least things start out strong. Talk That Talk's saving grace is its first stretch of tracks: the blithe and tropical "You Da One", "We Found Love", and the album's other Harris track "Where Have You Been", which doesn't stray much from the single's winning formula, a simple lyric of romantic longing that explodes into a club-ready beat. And though it's no "Umbrella", the Jay-Z reunion "Talk That Talk" is one of the more playful moments here, though I'll say that the patented H.O.V.-giggle doesn't feel entirely earned following a line like: "Had it by a bladder/ She like 'oh I gotta pee'."
I've read some comment-section conspiracy theorists who believe Rihanna is in single-minded pursuit of Hot 100 domination, and the rate at which she's pumping out albums (roughly one a year since 2005) is an attempt to populate the singles chart until the end of time. There might be some truth to this (her singles collection is going to be killer), and with "Death of the Album" prophecies ever looming it's worth wondering whether or not that's such a crime. But 2011 found plenty of pop artists still breathing new life into the format: Beyonce's 4 and Lady Gaga's Born This Way were probably the most solid examples-- two bombastic records that also explore the nuance of their respective artists' personas. Talk That Talk tries too hard to send a more one-dimensional message and ends up falling flat: Rihanna's obviously going for sexy here, but her music's at its most alluring when she's blissed out in her own reverie, not taking the time to spell it all out for us.
RATING: 6/10 = 60/100
http://pitchforkmedia.com/reviews/al...alk-that-talk/
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BINGO. Yep.
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Member Since: 9/7/2010
Posts: 28,471
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Quote:
Originally posted by Ace Reject
This is getting at least a 7.5 from Pitchfork. Believe that.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Sammi
I'm thinking 6.-6.5.Have they reviewed LOUD?
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 Anyways,Pitchfork has some great points there.Album isn't bad,there's some fun solid music but it feels rushed, unfinished and at parts messy(see 'Birthday Cake').On 1st I liked almost all tracks but I already feel bored of some(feel the same way with Born this Way).
You Da One,I can't listen it anymore.Where Have You Been starts great and then just nothing,it suddenly stops,lacks something.Cockiness was always a filler.Birthday Cake is that messy unfinished song,it's catchy but at the same time prime example of something that's just quicky put in just to fill the space.We All Want Love,bladness of her vocals.
I still stand by my opinion its better than LOUD but who knows maybe that will change soon,after all I was saying how Born This Way is Gaga's best album on 1st listen and weeks later had completely different opinion.Or how Teenage Dream is better than One Of The Boys.We say a lot of things under the influence of 'hype'.
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Member Since: 10/23/2009
Posts: 375
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Quote:
Originally posted by Ace Reject
BINGO. Yep.
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Member Since: 8/16/2010
Posts: 15,137
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I finally listened to Talk that Talk yesterday (thanks Spotify), and I have to agree with the mixed reviews. There are some good tracks in there (We All Want Love, Where Have You Been), but I don't buy the persona she's trying to sell. It seems very forced. 6/10 is a fair grade.
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Member Since: 2/17/2010
Posts: 21,811
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Quote:
Originally posted by Sammi
Anyways,Pitchfork has some great points there.Album isn't bad,there's some fun solid music but it feels rushed, unfinished and at parts messy(see 'Birthday Cake').On 1st I liked almost all tracks but I already feel bored of some(feel the same way with Born this Way).
You Da One,I can't listen it anymore.Where Have You Been starts great and then just nothing,it suddenly stops,lacks something.Cockiness was always a filler.Birthday Cake is that messy unfinished song,it's catchy but at the same time prime example of something that's just quicky put in just to fill the space.We All Want Love,bladness of her vocals.
I still stand by my opinion its better than LOUD but who knows maybe that will change soon,after all I was saying how Born This Way is Gaga's best album on 1st listen and weeks later had completely different opinion.Or how Teenage Dream is better than One Of The Boys.We say a lot of things under the influence of 'hype'. |
Well, blame Def Jam. They wanted her to record and release album in two months, just because they are money hungry bastards.
Hopefully, she'll take a two years break now from releasing music, and comes back with even a better album. After lots of listens, "Talk That Talk" feels like Loud, but more quite and with concept.
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Member Since: 9/7/2010
Posts: 28,471
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Quote:
Originally posted by Яeo.
Well, blame Def Jam. They wanted her to record and release album in two months, just because they are money hungry bastards.
Hopefully, she'll take a two years break now from releasing music, and comes back with even a better album. After lots of listens, "Talk That Talk" feels like Loud, but more quite and with concept.
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I understand that and I wish the same.
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Member Since: 8/29/2011
Posts: 9,504
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Quote:
Originally posted by Sammi
We say a lot of things under the influence of 'hype'.
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for real.
for me, this album is head and shoulders above "Loud," but I was never a big fan of that album to begin with.
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Member Since: 8/16/2011
Posts: 4,850
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Quote:
Originally posted by Яeo.
Well, blame Def Jam. They wanted her to record and release album in two months, just because they are money hungry bastards.
Hopefully, she'll take a two years break now from releasing music, and comes back with even a better album. After lots of listens, "Talk That Talk" feels like Loud, but more quite and with concept.
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Let's pray.she needs to enjoy her life too. 
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Member Since: 10/29/2010
Posts: 29,249
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HIPHOP DX - "TALK THAT TALK" REVIEW:
"Talk That Talk" is another solid collection, complete with radio hits, club bangers, and introspective ballads on her favorite subjects: love and sex.
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.
RATING: 3.5/5=70/100
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/album-...talk-that-talk
Counts for MetaCritic
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Member Since: 10/29/2010
Posts: 29,249
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Member Since: 7/15/2007
Posts: 3,364
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This album is great no matter what critics say. Rihanna is not trying to change the pop scene even tho she's far from basic. it is definitely an upgrade from Loud and you all will have to deal!
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Member Since: 11/17/2010
Posts: 12,926
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That Pitchfork review of TTT is making me mad Pitchfork never officially reviewed Born This Way!
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Member Since: 8/10/2010
Posts: 14,634
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Quote:
Originally posted by Navin
That Pitchfork review of TTT is making me mad Pitchfork never officially reviewed Born This Way!
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I don't know what to think about them anymore...
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Member Since: 9/24/2008
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I agree with those saying the album is full of filler content, that's the same conclusion I came to upon listening to it for the first time. It's empty underneath it all. I think the album sounds tired, which is fitting when you think about it. At first I thought it was a good idea for her to release an album this year, but in hindsight perhaps she should have taken a break. WFL is great but nothing else is. I think this era as a whole is going to be messy.
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Member Since: 11/12/2009
Posts: 13,575
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Quote:
Originally posted by Celestial
I agree with those saying the album is full of filler content, that's the same conclusion I came to upon listening to it for the first time. It's empty underneath it all. I think the album sounds tired, which is fitting when you think about it. At first I thought it was a good idea for her to release an album this year, but in hindsight perhaps she should have taken a break. WFL is great but nothing else is. I think this era as a whole is going to be messy.
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Agreed. I felt nothing when i listend to it.
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Member Since: 7/30/2010
Posts: 8,199
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Metacritic added Pitchfork review as a 6 
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Member Since: 10/29/2010
Posts: 29,249
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Quote:
Originally posted by JC.
Metacritic added Pitchfork review as a 6 |
They made a mistake, supposed to be a 60 
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Member Since: 1/8/2011
Posts: 27,650
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Quote:
Originally posted by JC.
Metacritic added Pitchfork review as a 6 |
OMG 
Can they re-edit with the the right score or is it too late lol?
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Member Since: 1/13/2010
Posts: 5,334
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As much as I loathe Pitchfork, that review is pretty spot on. The album is like flat line from start to finish. There are no amazing moments like on Loud (Man Down, OG, WMN) but the fillerific moments aren't quite as bad either. At their best, the songs on TTT are catchy and I can see myself playing them for one or two weeks. It's entirely uninspired from start to finish, and as much as I hated it when it first came out, in hindsight WFL is the only true highlight on the album.
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Banned
Member Since: 11/24/2009
Posts: 61,404
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Quote:
Originally posted by JC.
Metacritic added Pitchfork review as a 6 |
omg
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