{blackbabes} 'Talk' isn't cheap when Rihanna is in control

Rihanna, Talk That Talk
* * * (out of four) POP

Rihanna may talk dirty when she's trying to lure you into the bedroom or out on the dance floor. And when driven by the intoxicating rhythms of her sixth album in six years (out Monday), the sultry star compels you to listen.

It's not as if you can actually avoid hearing her. Last year's Loud produced seven singles, and it's nowhere close to leaving the Billboard album chart yet. With Talk's lead single, We Found Love featuring Calvin Harris, already topping the pop charts, Rihanna's ready to rule again.

Though there's nothing quite as aggressive as Loud's chart-topping bondage hit S&M, there's no shortage of blush-worthy moments. The double-entendre-laden Cockiness (Love It) has her promising to make herself "the queen of your body parts" once she's made you her sex slave. On Roc Me Out, the 23-year-old singer offers to reveal all of her nasty secrets, and on Watch n' Learn, she delivers a primer on pleasure principles.

Considering the dark and edgy themes of Loud and its 2009 predecessor, Rated R, the raunch seems more about fun than defiance. So while she revels in satisfying her carnal desires, she also craves a little genuine affection.

On We Found Love, she sings blissfully that she "fell in love in a hopeless place," while Where Have You Been finds her yearning over an intense electronic groove. She flirts easily with Jay-Z on the title track, and the notoriously bad girl gets Drunk on Love, confessing that "nothing can sober me up."

Rihanna, who has always excelled at club-bangers, continues to show strength on ballads such as poignant album closer Farewell. Producers Harris, Dr. Luke, Bangladesh, Stargate, The-Dream, Ester Dean, Alex da Kid and No I.D. bolster her efforts with an exotic blend of R&B, dance hall, hip-hop and dubstep.

But probably the most potent ingredient in the mix is the Barbadian singer's charisma. With her knowing naughtiness, she keeps the constant innuendos from becoming tiresome. They seem to come with a wink and a smile.

>Download:We Found Love, Cockiness (Love It), Where Have You Been

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