Talk That Talk – Rihanna
2009’s Rated R is the closest Rihanna’s come to making a definitive album, and Talk That Talk follows its predecessor Loud’s formula of mixing obvious singles with lightweight filler. Still, the good tracks here are among the best of her career: the title track, in which she again teams with Jay Z, is an addictive mix of pop and hip-hop, while the downbeat XX-sampling Drunk On Your Love provides the album’s emotional centre. A warning, though: this is Rihanna at her filthiest and, on songs like Cockiness (I Love It) and Birthday Cake, she makes Madonna’s Erotica sound like The Wiggles.