Crossing the Border | Rihanna: Talk That Talk

Even though this blog's main focus is independent music and artists, every now and then I'll deviate from my blog's goal to talk about types of music that I'm enjoying on the other side of the music spectrum; music that's been labelled as "top 40's" or "commercial." Crossing the Border is exactly that, music on the other side of the indie wall that despite being popular, is still nevertheless good. This week, I'm discussing a not-so guilty pleasure of mine, Rihanna's newest album, Talk That Talk.

Leave it to Rihanna to seize an opportunity. With most of her female pop peers at a loss to provide new singles for hungry radio listeners, Rihanna strikes with Talk That Talk, her sixth studio album in six years and an album providing enough radio filler to keep the masses happy during this pop music drought.

The first single “We Found Love,” a glitzy, Calvin Harris-produced track, and the album's best song, hardly features Rihanna singing. It's chorus, a bubbling instrumental club beat that bursts with a clash into a island-infused dance riff, makes it clear what Talk That Talk is all about: a haven for producers to strut their stuff. With material from big names like Dr. Luke, StarGate, Cirkut, Bangladesh, and the already-familiar Calvin Harris, Talk is a record tailor-made for producers to shows off their best beats.

And show off they definitely do. The album opens with its summery, Dr. Luke love song “You Da One,” in which Rihanna brings her best Caribbean vibes and auto-tuned stutter to the table, and genuinely appears to have some fun. “Where Have You Been,” the album's second track, follows the same dance formula of “We Found Love,” and gives you exactly what you want: glitchy synths, a pounding bass line, and a one-line chorus that won't be rejected by club goers or soccer moms alike. The xx sampling track “Drunk on Love” is also enough to trap indie fans into Rihanna's pop grip.

Even the albums weaker tracks could be moderately successful singles. “Talk That Talk,” the album's title track, features Jay-Z doing his best rap verse about urinating, while Rihanna's come-hither chorus makes for an entertaining three minutes, even if the song only reminds its listener that there's nothing on this album that even closely resembles the magic of “Umbrella.” “Roc Me Out,” a “Rude Boy” knockoff in almost every way, shows Rihanna can recycle the same song, change the key, and still impress with hardly anyone giving her any grief for it.

Of course, a Rihanna album isn't complete without some filler. Tracks like “We All Want Love,” a cheap ballad packaged between the house beats and sexual vigour of songs that occupy the album feels forced and dull, and “Farewell,” the obligatory closing track feels a little too generic even for a record that sticks so close to the blueprint for a perfect radio hit.

While it may feel Rihanna's Talk is just capitalizing on the need to fill the radio void between LMFAO and Adele, Talk is an album that works well because of its blatant desire to meet mainstream expectations. The album never goes beyond the generic synth-heavy club tracks dominating mainstream radio at the moment. It's a middlebrow, status quo record, and that works in its favour by making sure everything is immediate and accessible even during the first listen. Despite feeling unfinished and rushed at parts, Talk That Talk is destined to provide Rihanna with a few more number one singles. And if it doesn't, given Rihanna's persistence, she'll be ready to win you over next November.

WATCH: Rihanna | "We Found Love"