Rihanna’s “Talk The Talk” release tops iTunes

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Grammy-winning singer  Rihanna may soon be headed to the top of the album charts after  her latest record, “Talk That Talk” reached No. 1 on iTunes today, one day after its release.
The singer released early teasers online as much as a week  in advance, helping push the album into the top 10 on iTunes.  Fans took to Twitter and Facebook to call the album Rihanna’s  best yet. Critical reviews, however, were mixed.
“Talk That Talk” is the sixth studio album from the  23-year-old Barbadian singer, following CDs like “Rated R” and  “Loud,” which have seen her steadily evolve from teen pop star  to adult performer since her 2005 debut. She has earned  international success over the years with singles like  “Umbrella,” “Rude Boy” and “What’s My Name.”
The 11-track “Talk That Talk” features themes of love and  sexuality with a mixture of up-tempo dance tracks and reggae  beats on “Where Have You Been,” “Birthday Cake” and “You Da  One,” along with ballads “We All Want Love” and “Farewell.”
Rihanna also collaborated with rapper Jay-Z — whose Roc  Nation label manages her — on the single “Talk That Talk” and  Scottish producer Calvin Harris on chart-topping dance anthem  “We Found Love.” The record also features a sample of British  indie rock group The xx’s “Intro” on single “Drunk On Love.”
The singer’s fans were upbeat on Twitter.
@OhMy_Kayla said, “This TALK THAT TALK album by @rihanna is  by far the best one yet!!!!,, I FREAKING LOVE HER,” and  @gabixballa tweeted, “I’ve only been listening to Talk That  Talk since yesterday. Lowkey @rihanna’s best album ever.”
Despite the positive fan reception, critics delivered  mostly mixed reviews, acknowledging the singer’s move toward  dance music but criticizing the lyrics.
New York Times’ Jon Caramanica called the record “the  blithest Rihanna album” and criticized the singer’s voice for  being “certifiably blank.” Randall Roberts at the Los Angeles  Times gave the album two out of four stars, saying it “contains  little sweat, slobber or fluids and a lot of plasticized,  inflatable insinuation.”
British music magazine NME scored the album a five out of  ten, and called it “annoyingly safe with just glimpses of what  it might have been.”
But not all critics were put off. TheWrap.com’s Chris  Willman called the record “less dark and more high-spirited”  than her last two records, adding “the album is at its musical  best when it sticks to dance music.”