Category Archives: Reviews

Think of Rihanna as the anti- Dr. Dre: “Talk That Talk,” her sixth studio album, arrives exactly one year and five days after her last album, “Loud,” hit stores. That album is still going strong on the charts (No. 56 last week on the Billboard 200), as is its latest single, “Cheer (Drink To That)” (No. 58 on the Hot 100). Coming so soon after her last full-length, “Talk That Talk” feels like a special present for Rihanna’s navy of fans, and an oddly rushed-out release to the objective music fan. Why not wait a bit and let the buzz of “Loud” settle in?

PRE-ORDER “TALK THAT TALK”

Because, as a few listens of “Talk That Talk” proves, Rihanna just won’t let her reign let up. The Barbadian pop star came a little too close to a misfire with “Rated R,” her 2009 album. “Rated R” was fascinating but at times too dark, while “Loud” was the blissed-out antidote pop fans craved, a cavalcade of cheeky erotica and stunning production. After reclaiming her crown on “Loud” and proving her longevity, Rihanna is not about to take any sort of break to let her pop princess competitors catch up. Haters can “talk that talk,” but in the end, Rihanna’s going to do her thing, put out a new album and collect more No. 1 singles.

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Via MTV: Rihanna’s already Gone Bad, been Rated R and gotten Loud (all within the span of about four years, mind you), which sort of raises the question: What’s left?

Well, if her new album, Talk That Talk — in stores November 21 — is any indication, she’s not really sure of the answer. But here’s the brilliant thing about the disc: Rather than go searching for a new public persona, this time around, she’s simply content to sharpen her focus.

And in doing that, she’s created an album that is badder, raunchier and louder than anything she’s ever done before; an endlessly compelling, hit-soaked, high-powered thing that’s not only the best effort of her career, but arguably the best pop album of 2011. Talk That Talk outmuscles Born This Way, outguns Femme Fatale and, while it might never outsell 21 (because, really, what album can at this point?), it certainly outworks it.

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JustJared.com got an exclusive preview of all 14 songs off the deluxe version of TTT at the Island Def Jam offices on Wednesday (November 9) in New York City. The best way to describe the album would be is if Rated R and Loud had a baby – pure “dirty” pop.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!

Rihanna worked on a lot of the album on the road, recording vocals in hotel and dressing rooms around the world. As you can tell from the first single, “We Found Love,” a bunch of the songs have a lot of dub step and dance hall flavor.

Super producer Dr. Luke worked on three of the songs (maybe some of his last since starting his own Kemosabe label). Hitmaker Ester Dean, who produced Ri’s mega-hit, “What’s My Name?,” has writing/producing credits on the majority of the tracks. Clearly, Ri is Ester’s muse and really gets Rihanna with the bulk of her attitude.

1. “You Da One” is a fun pop record that was written/produced by Ester Dean, Dr. Luke, Rihanna, and John Hill. It’s going to be the second single and has lots of typical Rihanna island flavor. The song was instantly one of my favorites on the first listen and will be a worldwide smash.

The chorus goes, “You da the one that I dream about all day/You da one that I think about always/ You da one that makes sure that I behave/ My love is your love, your love is my love/ You are the one so I make sure I behave/ My love is your love/ your love is mine.” Parts of the vocals were recorded at the Hotel Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg, Room 538.

2. “Where Have You Been” is a fast pop tune that was penned/produced by Ester Dean, Dr. Luke, and Calvin Harris, who also worked on “We Found Love”. It has the classic, sweeping “build” that Calvin uses a lot. Very dance-y.

“Where have you been all my life” is the signature tag line you’ll hear throughout much like “We Found Love.” Rihanna recorded the song at the Grand Hotel in Oslo, Norway.

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Here’s a prediction: Rihanna’s transformation from bashful island girl to pop superstar will be complete by the time she wraps up the 2011 edition of her Loud tour later this year. How come? Because Wednesday’s concert at Scotiabank Place, just four shows into the worldwide excursion, was a spectacle worthy of a true diva.

After a futuristic opening segment that involved four large circular screens, the leggy Rihanna emerged from a sphere in a bright blue mini coat that provided a striking contrast against her mane of red curls. The first song, Only Girl (In the World), isn’t her strongest but with all the activity on stage, it hardly mattered. The four round screens were like highly engineered moons rising over the stage, plus there was a vast screen backdrop, a conveyor belt across the front of the stage, and a hole that swallowed her up for costume changes. Beneath the ridiculous amount of staging were the musicians and singers of her band. + Continue reading…

Loud is the perfect name for Rihanna’s summer tour, which kicked off with last night’s sold-out gig at Baltimore’s 1st Mariner Arena.

Beyond just the volume of the show – which was considerable – the theme prevailed through the set, built around a giant speaker cabinet; the costumes (mostly neon and shiny); and the entire production itself: a gloriously over-the-top spectacle perfectly befitting the singer, who seems to produce chart-toppers by the dozen.

The show began with a blitzkrieg of video, as four hanging, shifting circular video screens joined four giant stationary ones is projecting Rihanna’s arrival. She wore an electric blue mini-trenchcoat and hot pink stilleto boots with neon green heels and immediately belted out her Number One hit, “Only Girl (In the World)” from her 2010 album, also titled Loud.

Visit NeonLimelight.com and RihannaPhotos.org to view hundreds of fan pictures from the first show.

Before the audience could catch its breath, the singer had tossed the trench, revealing a day-glo bikini, picked up a gang of matching day-glo-covered back-up dancers and shifted directly into “Disturbia,” another Number One hit, this one from 2007′s Good Girl Gone Bad – and then seamlessly segued into another hit, 2007′s “Shut Up and Drive,” replete with back-up dancers dressed as crash-test dummies bashing a neon-graffiti-covered car with bats.

Over nearly two hours – a very long set for such a busy production – Rihanna maintained a relentless pace, working her way through 24 songs, six different wardrobes and endless set changes, all without any significant energy dip. The deft production included several built-in musical and video interludes – including a staggering number of guitar solos – to keep from going dark during the changes.

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TIME Magazine posted a list of “best and worst of the 2011 Grammy Awards”. Rihanna’s performances got the highest mark “A” naming one of the best performances of the night. Here’s what they said:

“Love The Way You Lie (Part II)”

Rihanna rarely sings alone. She’s almost always accompanied by another singer, drowned out by synthesizers or Auto-Tuned by an overzealous producer. But tonight, at least briefly, it’s just Rihanna and the microphone. Then Eminem appears and does the unthinkable: he makes the performance even better. When the duo performed “Love the Way You Lie” at the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this year, they seemed disjointed and unrehearsed. Here, they’ve have found their element. And Dr. Dre, whose cameo could have been an unnecessary addition, only added to the fire.
Grade: A

“What’s My Name” feat. Drake

It’s official: the 2011 Grammys should just be renamed The Rihanna Show. For her second appearance onstage tonight, the pop star ditched the ball gown, shortened her skirt and nailed this duet with Drake. I’m not even sure why Drake was there. Apparently he wan’t either; he wandered off halfway through the song.
Grade: A-

Here are the first press reviews of the album. Very positive feedback!

New York Times: The songs, all written for her, are about hookups, breakups and adult pleasures, and they are set in the synthetic virtual world of radio-ready pop. Rihanna is clearly aware of competition from Lady Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas and Kesha, and she’s keeping pace. Even through Auto-Tune, her voice holds its tangy individuality. - Read complete

Slant Magazine: The singer hasn’t embraced—or exploited, depending on how you want to look at it—her Caribbean roots this much since her debut, and after hearing the entire album, her “loud” red hair and floral-pattern dresses make that much more sense. – Read complete

Washington Post: This album makes you wonder if Rihanna’s ever lived anywhere else than behind a microphone. She’s a technician above all, and can credit her success to a massive fan base that finds such uber-precision irresistible. – Read complete

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Forget the morose tone of Rihanna’s Rated R; her album Loud, due November 16, certainly lives up to its name. A mixture of soft ballads, island party anthems and empowering love songs, Loud may go down as Rihanna’s best album yet.

When MTV News got an early listen of the album, we were treated to six unreleased songs, including Rihanna’s duet with Eminem, “Love the Way You Lie (Part II),” a sequel to their smash single released earlier this year. On the song, Rihanna tells her part of the story. The song opens with just her voice and the piano as she sings, “On the first page of our story, the future seemed so bright/ Then this thing turned so evil.”

When the chorus kicks in, the hook from the original track is bigger and more cinematic than ever before, but it’s Em’s seething anger when he delivers his verse that will have fans going bananas. He raps about the pain she causes him just as much as he causes her, spitting rhymes about trading punches with his lady love.

While “Lie (Part II)” is dark, much of the album is about love and partying. On the Stargate-produced “S&M,” there’s no innuendo when Rihanna sings over a booming beat lyrics like “Sticks and stones may break my bones/ But chains and whips excite me.”

“Cheers” is a party anthem featuring an Avril Lavigne sample from her 2003 song “I’m With You,” but Rihanna turns the ballad on its head with an island-flavored beat.

Going further into embracing her island roots, Rihanna touches on ska and reggae for her song “Man Down,” complete with police sirens and playful synths while singing about shooting a man.

However, Rihanna falls in love on the album too, as evidenced by tracks like “What’s My Name?”

On “Complicated,” Rihanna sings about her playful relationship with her boyfriend. It’s airy and has a house-music vibe. She displays her singing chops on the song, belting out lines like “You’re not easy to love” and “Everything with you is so complicated.” The song is synthy, funky, flirty and bouncy, especially when the beat kicks in midway through.

“California King (Bed)” is a return to power-pop ballads for the singer. She sounds lovely on the breakup track, showing her soft side with lines like, “Chest to chest, nose to nose, palm to palm, we was always just that close,” but as it turns out, the pair have certainly grown apart.

Review by David Griffiths from 4Music:

Less than a year after Rated R became her fourth global smash hit album, Rihanna is getting ready to unleash the follow-up – and we’ve had a sneaky first listen!

The Bajan beauty was on hand to introduce five tracks from the album in front of assembled media at a very swanky bash in London’s West End. Admittedly our note-taking was somewhat hindered by the delicious cocktails on offer, but here’s what we could gleam from our scribbles…

The album
Rihanna explained that the title very much symbolises the energy of the record and promised that it will take us on a ride. She revealed that her primary aim was to create an album that people would listen to from start to finish, joking that there’s nothing more frustrating than having to get out of the shower to skip a track! She also promised that it will definitely make us dance and confirmed that the track Raining Men will feature a ‘fun’ guest rap from Nicki Minaj.

Only Girl (In The World)
We’re sure that you’ve heard this one by now. The album’s lead single sees Rihanna return to the electro-pop vibe of Don’t Stop The Music and showcases her considerable vocal talents.
RiRi revealed that the video for the track will be released very soon and was shot just outside of LA. She explained that, while the shoot itself was a ‘gross’ because of all of the bugs and snakes on set, it had all been worth it. We were told that Anthony Mandler’s treatment was ‘unexpected’ and features some beautiful backdrops of mountains and hills.
Speaking about the track itself, she said it was a ‘big push’ for her and that she was very keen to get the song’s ‘big vocal’ right, resting her voice for three days before recording it. Sounds like it was worth the effort!

What’s My Name?
Described by the lady herself as being a ‘young’ and ‘playful’ record, What’s My Name? has been confirmed as the second single from the album. Produced by Stargate, the track still has an electronic edge to it but it’s much slower than Only Girl (In The World).
Notable for its strong percussion, the track sees Rihanna making her intentions known to the object of her affections, singing “Hey boy, I really wanna be with you, you’re just my type.” Oh, and she’s also recorded a version with Drake for the album!

S&M
Rihanna reckons this sassy little number is the loudest track on the album and described it as being ‘bad ass’. Quite!
Arguably the strongest track of the night, it immediately grabbed our attention with its synth loops and catchy ‘na na na na’ intro. The verses don’t sound a million miles away from Disturbia and, despite being the work of Stargate, the production on the chorus reminds of David Guetta’s Sexy Chick.
Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but the lyrics sounded to me like: ‘Sex in the air / I don’t care / I like the smell of it’. Make of that what you will…

Cheers (Drink To That)
Dedicated to all the ‘semi alcoholics around the world’, Rihanna seemed a bit miffed about the mix that was played out on the night. Well, it sounded good to me anyway.
Cheers is less danceable than you might expect for a track about getting merry on a night out and has an almost ‘rock’ feel to it. With its guitar riffs and hooky ‘yeah yeah yeah’ bits, it’s a great one to nod your head along to!

California King Bed
Another personal favourite of mine. Written about a relationship that’s gone sour, the verses are very stripped back, with just an acoustic guitar for backing and simple lyrics (‘Cheek to cheek / Nose to nose / Palm to palm)’, before kicking in for the chorus.
Rihanna puts in another impressive vocal performance on this one and it’s got an amazing breakdown and guitar solo. RiRi admitted that she loves listening to this one and that it was one of the last songs recorded for the album.

Since this morning, when “Only Girl (In The World)” premiered, hundreds of websites from all over the world can’t stop posting positive reviews about the song — and also talking about “Loud”, Rihanna’s upcoming album name that she revealed right here on RD. Check what some of them have to say:

MTV.com: “On the high-energy track, Rihanna yearns for her lover to keep her at the center of his attention over a pulsing electro beat. The singer’s voice remains silky on the verses, then bursts out on the song’s monstrous chorus.”

LATimes: “Although we can’t necessarily say Rihanna is back, since she didn’t go anywhere — she is making a comeback of sorts. The self-proclaimed “good girl gone bad” is back to her dance roots on her new single, “Only Girl (In the World)”. With its club ready bassline and Euro-pop influences, not to mention one heck of an epic chorus, the track is a surefire hit.”

NeonLimeLight: “Gone are the days of darkness for pop princess Rihanna. Not only has her jet-black hair disappeared in favor of fiery red locks, she’s also lightened up her sound once again for her new album. The first sample to introduce, or rather, re-introduce fans to the lighthearted and carefree RiRi comes in the form of the Stargate-produced “Only Girl (In The World),” which was premiered today by Ryan Seacrest. There’s no misconstruing the lyrics or intentions in this song as many fans and some artists did with Rihanna’s kick-off single for her Rated R era, “Russian Roulette.” A downright giggly and flirtatious Rihanna wants a man to make her feel like a woman and she’s taking that message to the dancefloors by singing it out loud against a pulsating, club-ready beat.”

Right now, “Only Girl” is the 5th most talked topic on Twitter (worldwide)!

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