Rihanna - Talk That Talk

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Six albums in six years and there's still no sign of pop's premier saucepot slowing down. Talk That Talk is a booming collection of bump `n' grind that happily sees RiRi dump the rather silly schlock tactics of S&M but also fail to come up with anything as superior as her brooding Eminem duet Love the Way You Lie.

She certainly ramps up the XXX Factor on a relatively short album dripping with salacious R&B, dance-pop, and electro and which takes a sharp turn away from the dark and claustrophobic themes of the traumatised-sounding Rated R and last year's Loud. Opening song You Da One bounces along like an afternoon spent on a Caribbean beach and no doubt new boyfriend Dudley O'Shaughnessy is the object of Where Have You Been, an adrenalized cocktail of euro trance and thrilling breakdowns.

Jay-Z, the man who signed her back in 2006, guests on the title track and on Cockiness (Love It) she unleashes a torrent of naughty word play which will have you grimacing or smirking. Drunk on Love samples English minimalists The xx and this wouldn't be a Rihanna album without a ballad and it's here in the shape of Farewell. Expect at least seven singles to be lifted from this short and snappy collection and expect Rihanna to own the clubs this Christmas and New Year.

Alan Corr

Tracklisting: You Da One, Where Have You Been, We Found Love, Talk That Talk, Cockiness (Love It), Birthday Cake, We All Want Love, Drunk on Love, Roc Me Out, Watch n' Learn, Farewell