Talk That Talk [Import]

Rihanna | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 21, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Def Jam
• ASIN: B005TZFYNE
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (185 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,959 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. You Da One

2. Where Have You Been

3. We Found Love

4. Talk That Talk

5. Cockiness (Love It)

6. Birthday Cake

7. We All Want Love

8. Drunk on Love

9. Roc Me Out

10. Watch N' Learn

11. Farewell

Editorial Reviews

2011 release, the sixth studio album from the R&B superstar. Talk That Talk once again sees the singer working with producer Verse Simmonds, half of the duo The Jugganauts. Features guest appearances from Jay-Z ('Talk That Talk') and Calvin Harris ('We Found Love') amongst others.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My, how my fan tables have turned December 8, 2011

By Shamontiel L. Vaughn

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

When she first came out, I just couldn't handle her voice. It irritated me so much and I still can't stand that "Umbrella" song. I don't remember what made me finally give her a shot. Maybe it was that "S&M" song. All I know is that I got her last CD "Loud" and now I'm a fan for good. I let this CD ride all the way through. I love her singing. The beats are hot. The lyrics are definitely on the raunchy, edgy side but then she gets to be sweeter on certain songs. She's the perfect blend of funk ("You Da One," "Cockiness" and "Watch N' Learn"), party ("Where Have You Been"), pop ("We Found Love" and "Roc Me Out"), and R&B ("We All Want Love" and "Drunk on Love") and soul ("Fairwell," I have the feeling that song is going to be on some military film).

The beats to "Cockiness" and "Birthday Cake" get me charged in the health club every single time. I thought LMFAO's "Sexy & I Know It (2-Track)" was going to be my workout song for the year. Rihanna came in and took that spot, too. "Watch N' Learn" is my other favorite track, but again, I could listen to them all.

Her last two CDs make me want to visit her earlier work. For Rihanna fans from the beginning, were the rest of her CDs this good? Please leave comments.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Rihanna's 6th Album Does Not Disappoint (Too Much)! January 2, 2012

By Kenneth A. Yanez

Format:Audio CD

When it comes to music sales, it's a fairly obvious fact that a large percentage of those sales occur within the first week of release. With that in mind, one can conclude that most members of Rihanna's Navy have gotten their hands on a copy of "Talk That Talk" by now. As for everyone else, whether you are a casual Rihanna fan or have been too busy to pick up this CD, you are most likely reading reviews of people expressing their various thoughts and opinions of Rihanna's latest musical effort. I'll get straight to the point- while I do consider myself a fan of Rihanna's work, I have to admit that some of my expectations were not met. For the most part however, I thoroughly enjoyed this album and I will be listing to it for a long time.

I hate to restate the obvious, but this is clearly Rihanna's most sexual album to date. If "Loud" was about sex, then, by comparison, "Talk That Talk" would be about a group orgy in the campaign offices of a GOP nominee. Not every song is about sex, however; there are also a few songs about love and acceptance in the form of mid tempos, ballads, and even dance tracks.

"You Da One" opens the album with Rihanna singing about a man she's allegedly in love with. In case you haven't already heard this on the radio, this is a mid tempo track with an uplifting mood. This is not a bad way to start the album, and makes the song a reasonable choice for a second single. The bridge of the song features a dub-step breakdown and Rihanna teases "You shouldn't have hit it like that, [you shouldn't have] had me yelling like that." The incorporation of dup-step was somewhat predictable given the current `trend' in radio music, but in this case, the breakdown does not necessarily detract from the song....

"Where Have You Been" was unpleasant at first, but I have to confess it has grown on me quite a bit. Similar to "We Found Love", it features only a few lines of lyrics that repeat during each verse. I really appreciate how this dance song seems to build up to a climax, but I don't appreciate how that climax is disrupted by out-of-place synthesizers after the chorus.

"We Found Love" is a beautiful dance anthem. The production on the vocals gives the song an `out in space and happy about it' feeling, which works very well with the music. My only complaints are from the techno build up sessions. Once again, I feel that they are out-of-place in this song. Such production would be more suitable for an `Ultra Techno Dance Remix'. In my opinion, the techno breakdowns don't do the album version any favors.

As the title track, "Talk That Talk" reinforces the overall sexual theme of the album. This song features Jay-Z's vocals in the beginning, hence a more prominent Hip-Hop sound. This song would have benefited from an additional Rihanna verse, as I feel it seems a bit unfinished.

If you thought "S&M" was inappropriate for the radio, you may want to cover your ears right about now. The opening verse for the song "Cockiness" sounds something like this: "I want you to be my sex slave". The rest of the song is not very subtle either. In fact, "Cockiness" is easily the most sexually explicit song on the album which does not (yet) boast an `explicit' tag in mp3 music stores. Regardless, it is definitely a musical highlight of the album and one of my favorite songs thus far.

I have a major problem with "Birthday Cake". I don't understand why this couldn't have been a full length song, or at least a few seconds longer. By comparison, the "Mad House" track from "Rated R" feels like a more complete song despite being a minute-and-a-half long. Furthermore, it was definitely an odd choice to place "Birthday Cake" after "Cockiness" in the track listing.

The album changes pace rapidly with "We All Want Love". As the title may suggest, this song is showing Rihanna's `softer' side. Judging by the lyrics, Rihanna has adopted a very optimistic view on love and relationships. The echoing production on the vocals works well with the instrumentation, giving the song a very ambient and relaxing sound.

"Drunk On Love" seems to tell a different story about love. Rihanna sings "I've been let down, but never been tainted so I stay thirsty for more." She later bellows "I wear my heart on my sleeve, always let love take the lead," and she concludes that she is effectively `drunk on love'. Her voice is more emotional on this track and the echoing drums give the song a haunting sound.

Just as quickly as things slowed down, they pick back up again with "Roc Me Out". This is definitely a hybrid between "Rude Boy" and "Rockstar 101" from a previous Rihanna album. Again, she teases things like: "I've been a bad girl, daddy," and "I'll show you my dirty secrets". Unfortunately, I feel like there is something missing from this song. It seems a little bland to me.

"Watch N Learn" continues the stream of sexually charged lyrics. Thankfully, this song features an extremely catchy pre-chorus, and Rihanna sings with her `deeper' voice during certain parts of the song. You can also hear her native accent, though it's not nearly as strong as it was on "Man Down". Finally, the lyrics: "Just because it can't kiss back, doesn't mean you can't kiss that" mark the third song in which Rihanna mentions `eating out'. (But seriously, who's counting?)

The standard version of the album comes to a rather quick ending with the ballad "Farewell". This song is lyrically interesting because it may have a broad interpretation. It could refer to a lover, a family member, or simply a friend who is moving away "to make a better life". In my opinion, this is another stand-out track on the album.

If you purchased the Deluxe Edition, you receive three additional tracks that fit almost seamlessly after the original album. "Red Lipstick" gives off a scary, dark, yet sexy mood. Assuming you have been listening to the album the whole way through, you should not be too surprised when you hear the line: "Let me grab my <<<rooster>>> while you sit on top".

Musically, "Do Ya Thang" sounds like it could have been on Beyoncé's recent album. Lyrically, Rihanna describes an interesting relationship with her partner. Personally, I feel the lyrics describe a polyamorous relationship, or `friends with benefits' as the youngins like to call it. Obviously, different people may interpret the same song differently, so I would suggest listening to this track for yourself before drawing any conclusions.

The album takes a serious turn one final time with "Fool In Love". Basically, Rihanna has fallen in love with someone whom her parents disapprove of. She sings: "Papa, are you ashamed of how your little girl turned out?" Once again, this song is open to some interpretation regarding who (or what) Rihanna may have `fallen in love with'. Musically, this track reminds me a little bit of "Drunk On Love".

As a whole, Talk That Talk differs from Rihanna's previous albums. It is clearly her most sexually driven album, and it has more upbeat songs that many fans have been clamoring for. The album is certainly a fun ride, although in my opinion, some of the songs would have performed better on the re-release of "Loud". *cough cough* We Found Love *cough*. Furthermore, a couple of the songs seem unfinished. *cough* Birthday Cake *chronic coughing* Nevertheless, Rihanna has refueled the dying music industry for the third year in a row, and this album is sure to please most of her fans. Consequently, it will be sure to offend the same people who hated "Erotica" about 20 years ago. (Thumbs down if that reminded you how old you are.) Read more ›

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Rushed and inconsistent December 27, 2011

By Dmitriy

Format:Audio CD

Rihanna lately has a tendency to put out albums that combine really upbeat songs that you can dance too with really depressing ballads stuck in between that completely kill your mood.
For instance she follows up "Roc You Out" and "Watch n Learn" with "Farewell" that entirely kills the party mood of most of the tracks on the album.
Rihanna of course couldn't have made an album without a generic rapper thrown into the mix. So she featured Jay-Z on the title track which of course includes "ingenious" lines about how women want to **** him in every city he visits and how he can travel anywhere to get anything he wants like Pizza in Pisa and Reefa in Jamaica.

On the LOUD album this pointless mix of sexy songs mixed with melancholic ballads was okay. Now it is just plain annoying.

This album also kind of reminds me of Rated R, the difference though is that the general theme was dark with dark melodies and loud guitars with a small dash of party(Rude Boy!!!). That worked because the album's theme still shined through.

To conclude I'd like to say that Talk that Talk is nothing more than a cheap thrill. It's definitely not worth your money.

17 of 23 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Stop Talking That Talk... March 17, 2012

By Orsayor Simmons

Format:Audio CD

Rihanna... Rihanna....Rihanna...

Where are you....?

This cd feels empty - rushed - incomplete...

Ever since the "Chris Brown" incident you feel the need to proclaim to the world.. You are a "BAD" Girl.. I understand the need for artists to show growth, but it seems like you took one or two step backwards.

After hearing.. Take A Bow.. I thought to myself.. Rihanna is preparing her fans for something UNFORGETTABLE... I'm still waiting..

The music on this cd is catchy and people will dance to it in the club.. *thinking to myself* - "People will dance to anything when they are drunk".. well back to the cd..

1. You Da One - is my favorite track on this cd... I can listen to this song over and over

2. We All Want Love - is another favorite song of mine...

3. Talk That Talk - is an okay song to me.. nothing to write home to mom about.. Even Jay-Z's rap is weak..

The other songs on the cd are forgettable....

Take it from me.. The whole SEX thing gets old..

I don't think 10 years from now.. someone will be singing.. CAKE CAKE CAKE CAKE

There's only so much grinding & popping you can do in your videos before people get tired.. Ask Ciara.. Better yet ask Janet Jackson... when she started getting freakier and naked in videos - her record sales went down which each cd she released... The public loves Janet.. but they aren't buying her music...

Take a vacation... Do some Soul Searching... and Bring your fans some HEARTFELT MUSIC..