I’m from Canada. This one particular snowstorm while I was visiting home it was around 530am, my eyes barely open I turned the shower on as hot as it goes and stood there till the water went cold, with Talk that Talk playing in the background. I was late to the listening party of the album, it had been a couple months since it came out. Now everytime I listen to the Where Have You Been I am still embraced in that hot shower from all those years ago.

Clearly I have the weirdest reasons for loving Rihanna.
(i almost think this review requires a nsfw tag, but lets see what happens)
Right, anyways.

I did not know this until now, but the entire album was supposed to be just a reissue of Loud. Which just means the same album with some tweaks, maybe some new songs. What an interesting release. A year after Loud she was already ready with a new product, more edm dance influences, plus the whole Facebook promotion. Its hard for me to imagine Rihanna needing to promote anything.

1. You Da One (single) – the reggae Caribbean we heard in her debut are back with the addition of a much more confident, sexy singer. After all the darkness of Rated R, the over the top bubblegum candy feel of Loud, this song is such a nice refreshment imbued with a mixture of a lot of her single genre heavy albums. The lyrics are pretty straight forward, beginning of any relationship/ infatuation we all just think that person is perfect and all we can think about is them. Again if that feeling lasts is a different story, my apologies, my own cynicism. But its pleasant to see that the album starter is a song about her opening up and willing to put herself out there for a stable relationship.Overall – 7/10
2. Where Have You Been (single) – I love love love this song. It’s my favourite song off the album. I’ve done everything with this song, showered, danced, gotten drunk off my ass, made out. So my bias is so immense with this song I can’t even rate it fairly. It may not be anything special lyrically again, but when she came out with this single it was such a different sound than anything she had ever done before. Its just all edm techno pop dance everything. I think this is also the time she started working with Calvin Harris. A good pairing, I usually enjoy everything they make together.Overall – 10/10
3. We Found Love (single) – fuck. I didn’t realize how messy of a review this is going to be. I didn’t realize how many memories I have associated. The beginning beat of this song plays and I’m transported to my days of studying for exams, panicking, but belting ‘we found loveeee in a hopelessss place’. This is such an iconic Rihanna song, the beginning plays and everyone around you will without a doubt start singing ‘yellow diamonds in the ligggght’. Its an even more iconic single than Umbrella. This is and was a song that is cemented in her legacy. Calvin Harris did a great job with the production, its like he knew her voice was a perfect instrument complementary to his creation. Overall – 10/10. Honestly I would give it 98237912837192873012/10, but thas just me.

4. Talk That Talk (single) – a random thought: people should really take some pointers for releasing singles from Rihanna. She knows exactly what works, and all of her singles are always amazing. I know this song gets flack for being juvenile, but I love it. Jayz being back on her track takes me back to Good Girl Gone Bad. Which ironically this album sounds like more of the sound she’s aiming for her whole career up till now. The production is also more r&b again, less techno influences but its a welcome mixture. I don’t think it’s appreciated enough, but I’m a really big fan of vocal range from both ends of the spectrum when nothing is belted and yelled. She keeps the octave pretty low in the entire song, but its such a velvety feel in my uterus.
   Mandatory lyric acknowledgment: Had it by a bladder, she like “oh I gotta pee” Overall – 8/10
5. Cockiness (Love It) (single) – A song that is slept on. If you havent heard it, go listen right now. And dont get discouraged just keep pushing through, it builds and builds and the whole mixture of a mess combines and forms this satisfactory eloquence. It has so many elements to the production, so many factors that eventually meld and paint a beautiful picture. Yes I called ‘suck my cockiness’ a piece of art. I am ready to take flack for it. Its a song that again hints and tells us that Rihanna is a freak in bed, and I love it. Her songs about sex are always so vivid and descriptive. Dare I say no one does it like her?Overall – 7.5/10
6. Birthday Cake (single) – hate it. I have my reasons for hating it, pretty evident why. The only thing I’ll say about this song is I just learned it was recorded in a hotel room, room 1306 to be exact, a nice piece of trivia. Overall – 0/10
7. We All Want Love – Something I’ve come to appreciate lately is vocal layering. The beginning of this song excels in it, I wish she would perform this with a huge ass gospel choir or something. Its sucha feel good song. Its a reflection into all of our insides, we all want love, theres no denying it. Every one of actions in life is a step closer to wanting that kind of unconditional love. Composition is not over the top, the vocal production is what makes the song, its sucha good song. Rihanna is really known for her ballads like Stay or Love on the Brain, but when she sings at ease like this, thats my favorite version of her. Overall – 10/10

8. Drunk On Love – the intro of the song is her experimenting with her new sound with her signature vocals. Im not a real fan of the production on this, but this is where the lyrics shine. Shes been hurt before, shes acknowledging finally that she will never give up on love, always gonna be hopeful. She loves with an intensity thats borderline insane, and theres nothing that will ever decrease that intensity. Anyone to be loved by her like that would be lucky, or would they be? Overall – 6.5/10
9. Roc Me Out – You know that feeling when you get turned on and this animal instinct completely takes over. This song is allll of that. The raunchy level of fucking, not making love, not sex, this is straight up taking what she needs and shes gonna do what she needs. That being said, the production, the way she’s singing it, we’ve all heard it before. This song could be on good girl gone bad and it wouldnt have made a difference.Overall – 6/10
10. Watch n’ Learn – island percussion, signature accented whiny vocals, distorted vocals and BAM. Snaps with that bass. Are you head bobbing yet? Its like all her genres mashed into one here. It get very repetitive after a while. But man when she says floor, couch, or mouth, that little throaty sound is soooo sexy.This is the most vivid imagery I have experienced with any Rihanna song. Its basically visualizing oral sex, the release, and asking for the favor in return. We have now been educated that Rihanna wont kiss after ya know, doing her thing. Overall – 6.5/10
11. Farewell – ah the sweet iconic ballad that closes off the album. The melody is unique, but the template is basically always the same for her ballads. That being said, I have no complaints, its a beautiful song. Heartwarming, and the context can apply to so much. This may be a bittersweet ending to a relationship, and coming to peace and saying goodbye to her lover, but I honestly think it can be interpreted as much more. We have so many things in life we need to say goodbye to, just so we can move on and move forward. But when we say that goodbye, someone will always miss us. Its a stunning piece of music. Overall – 9/10

*Now normally I dont go into depth on deluxe versions of albums since the extra stuff is usually crap, but for this album specifically I want to make that exception. The three songs on the deluxe version are worth the extra mileage.*

1. Red Lipstick – This song could have easily been put on anti or even rated R. Its so badass, so raunchy, so sultry. I love this production, very electronic pop with hints of that morbid undertone. Buts its not a morbid song at all. Its another song about being fucked again, very explicit detailing again which in all honesty is beautiful. But this time she acknowledges shes in the media all the time for her antics, which she knows is against societal norms but she doesnt give a shit who’s watching who sees what shes doing. Shes mentioned time and time again shes not a role model, this song just idealizes that concept.Mandatory lyric mention – Let me grab my tit while you sit on top. Overall – 9/10
2. Do Ya Thang – Loud-esque version of Rihanna shines through here. Its like a happy go lucky pop song with lyrics that are almost dark and taboo? Break up with someone, but you never really let go of them, youre always going to be there for them no matter what. No matter what kind of person they are or what crimes they may commit, they were/are your best friend. I’m choosing to believe that lyric: ‘And you my lover, but I love you like a brother’ is just a reference to having an underlying communication that not everyone has. When I was researching for this review it was made clear to me that this is a reference to Angelina Jolie and her brother. Awkwarrrdddd..Overall – 5/10
3. Fool In Love – I hate that this is on the deluxe version and not on the actual record. Its one of my favorite ballads by Rihanna, including her most famous ones, but this song is so slept on. Such a beautiful love letter/message to her parents. For her whole entire life she’s wanted to meet the expectations, just make her family proud. And then comes along a relationship that totally strips her of everything she’s accomplished to be, and shes projecting what she assumes her parents are feeling and despite thinking they’ll be disappointed she acknowledges she cannot let go. Shes too far gone and cannot stop until she is completely wrung dry.Is she trying to convince her parents, or is she trying to convince herself?
   “I know he’s not perfect in your eyes, But somehow he’s flawless in mine”. She knows she’s hurting them, but just imagine how much pain she is tolerating and the strength it takes to not let go of a love like that. Overall – fuck it 10/10, I wish everyone in the world just heard this once.

Rated R was an album that despite the hype wasn’t appreciated to the extent of the gems on it. Talk that talk was under-hyped despite the number of gems on it. This is such a beautiful piece of work, a tie for my favorite Rihanna album (i’ll reveal my list at the end of the deep dive). There are not many skips on this album, its a beautiful mismash of all her genres she’s experimented with so far and it works so well. Again a cohesive piece of work, starting with her desire for love, being burned, the one night stands, and finally just acceptance and letting it all go.

The fact that she made this while doing her Loud tour just speaks volumes to how talented she is, how much creativity she has packed inside her.
Beautiful piece of work, with a lot of feel good songs, a lot of dance numbers, personal stuff and experimental tunes.

Album Review – 9.5/10 (personal bias included)