20 Albums For 2012 - #19 - Rihanna's Talk That Talk

I swear things change after this week for those who aren't big fans of dance/hip-hop/whatever you want to call it music. I was actually surprised by how much I liked this album of Rihanna's. If you asked me three years ago if I'd ever have a Rihanna album in my top 20 albums of the year I probably would've laughed. But I've come to really like her and the music she puts out.

To me, Talk That Talk is by far her best album she's put out as a whole. If I didn't love it enough, she went and sampled a favorite song of mine by The XX and I'm pretty convinced she at least borrowed from a Sleigh Bells song as well for this album. Rihanna's grown as an artist, though I've always liked her...from the very beginning. In a genre of music that's often one hit wonders and often formulaic, Rihanna does it right. She's inventive and ups the game with each album she produces and you just don't know where she's going next.

Talk That Talk is just a FUN album. I really don't think there's a song on it that's not good. And I wouldn't be surprised to see it turn up on some of the indie sites best of lists too for the end of the year.

Did anyone catch Rihanna's interview with Oprah the other night? Me and Matt recorded it :p I have to say it made me love her even more. She's a brave woman and she speaks the truth whereas a lot of pop stars just say things that are blatantly NOT the truth. I think a lot of people think of the whole Chris Brown disaster when they think of Rihanna. I know I still get pissed about it and I can't stand to even see Chris Brown's face. Oprah, of course, asked her about it. She said that it's taken her a long time to forgive him but she has and she can't expect anyone else to do the same. That people are going to feel how they will and they're entitled too, but she went through a long journey to come to a place where she could forgive him. When asked if she saw herself as a role model, she said she hates that term. That she never wants to be on a pedestal above her fans. That she is just as human as her fans and she's going to make mistakes. That she's young and trying to find herself and she's going to get lost. She's not going to be perfect and she's going to mess up sometimes. I though it was just a really honest interview and I loved her even more for her honesty...Do I think that she's made some poor choices and has some issues to deal with still? Sure...but we all do. SHOULD she be a role model for people? Or should she be expected to be? Well that's the million dollar question to be debated I guess. I just really like that she says, look I'm flawed and I know that.

So anyway, here's a little taste of this new album. If you want to be entered for a chance to win this album, let me know in the comments!! You can leave a comment on every post I do for the 20 albums in 2012 posts if you want any of the albums. At the end of each month, I'll draw names for people who have left comments on all of the posts and pick one winner to win one of the albums they've said they want! So here's your chance...just let me know if you want in ;)

Past posts:
#20 - Diplo - Express Yourself (EP)