Talk That Talk
by Rihanna
  • Record Label: Def Jam
  • Release Date: Nov 21, 2011
User Score
7.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 609 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 401 out of 609
  2. Mixed: 113 out of 609
  3. Negative: 95 out of 609
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  1. Georgehullyer
    Nov 21, 2011
    1
    There is no Doubt that she rushed this album, having her world tour and all, made the outcome of it her worst album out of the six. with little if any originality to it , Think of this album as a ''Rated R Part 2 '' :/ ''Loud'' and ''Good girl gone bad'' will always be the best :)
  2. matrix19
    Mar 30, 2012
    2
    I expected so much more with this album . First single was amazing and then the disaster came in . Don't like the most of the songs , they are very cheap bronx - related crap x
  3. Zegilgamesh
    Jan 5, 2012
    3
    Rihanna, like most pop artists, dabble into heavy electronic beats to make for lazy songwriting. Rihanna's past works wern't the musical opus of the 21st century, but at least they had decent hooks and a nice feel. Like the Black Eyed Peas, she's gone from a guilty pleasure to a throwaway pop act. This album should've just been called "The I've Stopped Trying Chronicals, Vol. 1". In aRihanna, like most pop artists, dabble into heavy electronic beats to make for lazy songwriting. Rihanna's past works wern't the musical opus of the 21st century, but at least they had decent hooks and a nice feel. Like the Black Eyed Peas, she's gone from a guilty pleasure to a throwaway pop act. This album should've just been called "The I've Stopped Trying Chronicals, Vol. 1". In a world where talents like Adele, Bon Iver Feist exist, why do we keep listening to Rihanna?… Expand
  4. All_ButTrU4
    Aug 24, 2022
    3
    With some of her biggest songs Talk that Talk first for songs are frankly the best part of the album. A top heavy ccompilation of potential hits rather than an actual album. Rihanna 6th studio album still finds her directionless
  5. SmokyEyes
    May 20, 2012
    3
    If I have to review this album with 2 adjectives: cheap & overproduced. The production of "Talk that talk" has been clearly rushed since Rihanna had her world tour to accomplish. The lyrics are poor (90% per cent of the tracks talk about sex)
    The quality standard definitely went down since her last album "Loud", and musically speaking Rihanna adds up nothing original. "Where Have You Been"    If I have to review this album with 2 adjectives: cheap & overproduced. The production of "Talk that talk" has been clearly rushed since Rihanna had her world tour to accomplish. The lyrics are poor (90% per cent of the tracks talk about sex)
    The quality standard definitely went down since her last album "Loud", and musically speaking Rihanna adds up nothing original. "Where Have You Been" could be a disco hit but clearly has nothing to do with the rest of the album, since it's a dancehall- electronic song, while the rest has an R&B/ Reggae print.
    I admire Rihanna and her career, but this has been her worst album.    … Collapse
  6. tcxp1990
    Nov 21, 2011
    0
    This is a horrible album. I hope she do some more real r&b. I love her, but I don't like "Talk That Talk" at all. She's trying too hard to be she wants to be. Maybe slow down and have a rest.
  7. Niksan555
    Nov 26, 2011
    0
    I don't like this album!!! Too bad songs, include "We found Love". My score is 0/10.
  8. DiogoSantos
    Nov 21, 2011
    3
    I think this one is really a STEP BACK from her other albums! You Tha One 3/5 (like it until the chorus, by the second one, i have to change the song. Whats My Name b-side) Where Have U Been 4.5/5 (the flaw: after the chorus seems like a david guetta song, rip-off of LMFAO, although the acoustic guitar save it for me) We Found Love 5/5 (mehh at first, pretty cool right now, 5 for herI think this one is really a STEP BACK from her other albums! You Tha One 3/5 (like it until the chorus, by the second one, i have to change the song. Whats My Name b-side) Where Have U Been 4.5/5 (the flaw: after the chorus seems like a david guetta song, rip-off of LMFAO, although the acoustic guitar save it for me) We Found Love 5/5 (mehh at first, pretty cool right now, 5 for her standards, not a 5 at all in comparison with other songs) Talk That Talk 1.5/5 (????? a jay-z track? my **** GOD. what the hell is this **** (love it) 3/5 (there's something about this song that's not right, but the guy's freaky sounds, AMAZING. catchy, but a litlle bit boring as well) Birthday Cake 1/5 (cause i can't give 0/5! and they want this **** in full. for what? to hear cake for more 2 minutes???) not edgy riri, just ****! We All Want Love 2.5/5 ( cute kinda-ballad (mid-tempo) but feel a little too dated. it seems like a song that could be in rated R. not bad, not groundbreaking, just mehh) Drunk On Love 2.5/5 (the recycled Te Amo beat with vocals with a little bit more atittude. just that. the chorus is really weak. the thing about this song, are the chants in the background of the track and that kinda bamboo-blings) Roc Me Out 3/5 (here we have another recycled beat. it's like Rude Boy and Rock Star had a child that it's cousin to Te Amo. The triple tread Rihanna, Stargate and Ester Dean, are too over-used by rihanna. this is the song that aproxes the most to S&M vocally speaking!) Watch n Learn 1.5/5 (here we go again with the island flavoured song that's 1st degree cousin to whats my name. and we've had enough of that song for the past year and a bit of this one. bad song! Farewell 4.5/5 (although u can see the similarities between this one, love the way you lie, fire bomb and another bunch of ballads of rihanna's Rated R. this one is really good, even though farewell hasnt the same strength vocally as California King Bed, it could surpace the success of the last. after a few listens it may become too flat.

    Review!!! The thing is that i think Talk That Talk is the worst album by Rihanna (i'm not counting the first 2 albuns) It doesnt has the single material as Good Girl Gone Bad; "edginess" and fragility of rated r; neither the sound and yelling as Loud... and by that it's not a body of work, we can totally see that the album was made on the top of the knees, with not too much time, too much work, and storys, just a bunch of good producers. where Good Girl Gone Bad was epicness, Rated R "showed the things that she was going through"; and Loud take her to the top of the charts with songs that catapulted her to the clubs, Talk That Talk just TALKs about sex, and sex and sex and i don't know if she need desperately a man or one thousand... but u can see that this was going to be a Loud re-release, that then after plans scrapped, they try to build it around Loud with glimpses of Rated R. Certainly, Rihanna doesn't want us to forget, what sex is about and how to make it!!    … Expand
  9. Rafa018
    Nov 22, 2011
    0
    Boring Album! the lyrics and the melody are weak and confused. This is the album it more generic, with the sole aim to be successful in the charts. Rihanna needs to take a vacation. She no longer has musical identity.
  10. musiccritic
    Nov 21, 2011
    0
    "Talk That Talk" seems like it is an EP rather than an album. It's too short and it sounds very unfinished. It's a very safe record by Rihanna with the same tired Euro dance formula and her emotionless, bland ballads.... One of the most sentimental tracks "Farewell," wants to be good, but she fail to produce the emotion to make it great. Overall a very terrible album.
  11. pitch4rk
    Nov 22, 2011
    0
    What an underwhelming pop record. Probably the worst of the year. The vocals sound tired. The production sounds rushed. The ballads lack emotion and are dull. There's no artistic growth whatsoever...
  12. melmaz3303
    Nov 22, 2011
    2
    This cd is such a disappointment! Talk the Talk may be the only good song on the whole cd. She definitely needs to take a little mini break after this and get back on track!! She lost the r&b and is letting the euro music take over her whole cd.
  13. MyaKoiv
    Nov 22, 2011
    1
    Cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake cake.
  14. Apart
    Nov 21, 2011
    0
    Rihanna is that kind of artist that goes with whatever's hot at the moment. There's no music artistry, no connection to the (awful) lyrics. Don't waste your time with this.
  15. Raquifa
    Nov 21, 2011
    0
    this gurl giving me this mess after the anthems from LOUD gave me lifeeee no no no riri this 0 is well deserved
    give me rudeboy 2.0 not rudeboy 0.5 and i dont want songs about damn pastries although i will say **** is my reason to LIVE tonight the rest are negatives
  16. cbeanfan
    Nov 21, 2011
    0
    One of my most anticipated pop albums of this year... Unfortunately I was left disappointed. There's no artistic growth. The songs sound unfinished and rushed. There's no song that blow you away... Really disappointed with this!
  17. kowalski
    Dec 3, 2011
    3
    So called "princess of pop" would be wise to stick to one genre, instead of multi-dipping in electronic rave from Harris, less-then-unoriginal teary ballads and reggae rhythms. I wish I could support her bipolar attempt to rule all kinds of dancefloors, but I simply don't seem to be able to follow her.
    Talk That Talk is an overproduced, shallow album with absolutely nothing ambitious and    So called "princess of pop" would be wise to stick to one genre, instead of multi-dipping in electronic rave from Harris, less-then-unoriginal teary ballads and reggae rhythms. I wish I could support her bipolar attempt to rule all kinds of dancefloors, but I simply don't seem to be able to follow her.
    Talk That Talk is an overproduced, shallow album with absolutely nothing ambitious and enjoyable.    … Expand
  18. JustActinUp
    Nov 23, 2011
    0
    Unfortunately this album left a lot to be desired. I found the album to be trite, uninspiring and lackluster. Rihanna is definitely in need of a long extended break from the music scene.
  19. Cazatuz
    Nov 24, 2011
    0
    EPIC DISASTERPIECE!!!, The Only good songs are You da one, talk that & Red lipstick. Thats it :/ 2/5. Her WORSE album to date! & I thought loud was Generic :?
  20. Glitter
    Aug 30, 2013
    3
    Fumbling through the numbers, Talk That Talk is an identity crisis. Attempting to marry the dance-pop, urban, and ballad-leaning sides of Rihanna, it is a melting pot of goop. With production above par, the lyrics are at their worst. However, Rihanna makes the best of even goop, and delivers on each track in a way that each track feels as more than an album filler. But on an album whereFumbling through the numbers, Talk That Talk is an identity crisis. Attempting to marry the dance-pop, urban, and ballad-leaning sides of Rihanna, it is a melting pot of goop. With production above par, the lyrics are at their worst. However, Rihanna makes the best of even goop, and delivers on each track in a way that each track feels as more than an album filler. But on an album where pacing is non-existent, it caters to the cherry-picking iTunes masses. Talk That Talk simply does not work as an album.… Expand
  21. Clubsocial
    May 4, 2015
    1
    Katy Perry bursts back onto the scene with her amazing second album that is full to the grim of the tongue-in-cheek atmosphere that got herkhkkjhjghjbnnnnn
  22. prayyoucatchme
    Aug 30, 2016
    1
    Wow, Im shocked at these reviews, Not too shocked because Critics Overrate & Underrate thing all the time. Poor Rihanna, She thought she could pull off another Bâ Collapse
  23. sixinch
    Aug 30, 2016
    1
    One of the worst albums of the year thus far. It shows absolutely no artistic growth, the lyrics are elementary, and the vocals are non-existent. All in all, a terrible album. Collapse
  24. ihatextintapig
    Sep 3, 2021
    0
    enserio Rihmierda ya retírate y deja de sacar tus abortos genéricos y comerciales , tu basura no es necesaria para el mundo.

Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Most Discussed Album of 2011
57
#57 Most Shared Album of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 27
  3. Negative: 1 out of 27
  1. Expert Witness (MSN Music)
    Feb 9, 2012
    91
    Musically, this is pop without shame‑-her hookiest and most dance-targeted album.
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  2. PopMatters
    Nov 30, 2011
    30
    It's sure to sell on brand recognition alone, but I doubt a series of mannered and soulless hooks are going to find much life outside of the European remix circuit.
    Read full review
  3. No Ripcord
    Nov 29, 2011
    70
    It's easy to criticise Talk That Talk but it's actually a fun and enjoyable record.
    Read full review
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