Listen: Talk That Talk (English)

It's been barely a year since Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna's blockbuster album Loud was out. But even before the din of What's My Name, S&M, California King Bed and Only Girl (In The World) could subside, here comes her next outing Talk That Talk. While Rated R and Loud more or less explored dark and edgier themes following her assault by her then boyfriend Chris Brown, Talk That Talk is more sultry, a string of intoxicating dance songs complete with club-ready refrains.

We Found Love works well as an upbeat electro pop anthem with a dash of melancholia, whipping them up into a dizzy frenzy, building climax after climax. You Da One finds Rihanna singing about her loved one over a catchy reggae-pop arrangement, before going on to search for him in the totally smashing EDM-leaning Where Have You Been, and crave for him in We All Want Love. The title track rides on a highly addictive soundscape that harkens back to Rude Boy, even as Cockiness (Love It) turns out to be a sexually charged punchy rock number along the lines of S&M. Talk That Talk might sound like a filler, there's little of actual material to play around with, but is nevertheless an adrenaline rush that's on a lighter vein, and one meant to enjoy.