Albums of the week: 21/11/2011

ARTIST: Rihanna
TITLE: Talk That Talk
RELEASE DATE: November 21
VERDICT: Say what you like about Rihanna but you can't fault her work rate. Six albums in six years is some going, and that's before you factor in the collaborations (Coldplay, Nicki Minaj and Drake have all had the pleasure this year), record-breaking world tours, and bust-ups with Irish farmers.

Even she seems to have become a tad weary of the exposure lately, telling reporters that she wants to "scale right back" and that it's "more about the music" from now on.

While this might mean her hair stays the same colour for more than a week, she doesn't appear to have reigned in the raunchiness. In fact, if this album is anything to go by, she's ramped it up even further.
Take her song Cockiness, for example, a dancehall-flavoured lust-fest so brazen you can't quite believe what you're hearing, while she dispenses with the euphemisms altogether on Birthday Cake, a song whose lyrics are pretty much unquotable.

Musically, Talk That Talk is her most club-friendly album to date.

According to the credits, lead single We Found Love 'features' Scottish superstar DJ Calvin Harris but in reality it's his track with a guest vocal from Rihanna. That said, it might be his cake but her icing is to die for. The pair repeat the trick to even greater effect on the stupendous Where Have You Been, which could well be another single down the line.

It's not all bangers though. Mid-tempo numbers like You Da One and the Jay-Z-guesting title track are equally effective and prove, as if proof were needed, that Rihanna isn't just the hardest working woman in show-business, she's right at the top of her game. That's a formidable combination.

RATING: 4/5
DOWNLOAD FROM ZUNE:Talk That Talk
MORE FROM MSN: Article: Rihanna on the X Factor
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ARTIST: The Saturdays
TITLE: On Your Radar
RELEASE DATE: November 21
VERDICT: Despite their best efforts, The Saturdays have never been entirely convincing in their attempt to steal Girls Aloud's crown as the queens of British girl groups.

Perhaps it's because they've always jumped on bandwagons rather than started them. On Your Radar, their third long-player, sees the girls hitching themselves to the current trend for club-ready albums.

Singles Notorious and All Fired Up are accomplished if unspectacular electro-pop bangers, so it's a pleasant surprise to discover that fellow dance tunes White Lies, Faster, and I Say are just as effective; the last of these perhaps the best of the lot.

There are some decent ballads too, latest single My Heart Takes Over being a good example, but not as good as Last Call, which is a great vehicle for the girls' underrated vocals.

There are just as many misses too though. Promise Me sounds half-finished, while For Myself and Wish I Didn't Know are so forgettable that... what were we talking about again?

Three albums in and The Saturdays seem destined always to be the bridesmaids but never the bride.

RATING: 2/5
DOWNLOAD FROM ZUNE:The Saturdays music
MORE ON MSN: Video: The Saturdays quizzed on their own lyrics
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ARTIST: One Direction
TITLE: Up All Night
RELEASE DATE: November 21
VERDICT: Whether the top bods at Syco would admit it is doubtful but when it comes to debut albums, there are two tiers of former X Factor contestant; the type that gets to work with top-notch producers and the type that doesn't.

Having lacked the foresight to sign JLS, Simon Cowell has clearly taken no chances in green-lighting the likes of RedOne (Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez) and Rami Yacoub (Britney Spears, Bon Jovi, Pink) for One Direction's first full-length release.

It's all very calculated, commercial and, yes, manufactured, but so what? The result is a corking pop album, and it's not like One Direction's rabid fan-base could care less about such high-minded concerns anyway.
First single What Makes You Beautiful is already the fastest-selling of the year, follow-up Gotta Be You is hot on its heels, and of the remaining songs on the album, only the filler-flavoured I Want and Everything About You wouldn't work as a third.

And that's the point really. Those exceptions aside, Up All Night is a collection of highly polished pop gems which knows its market and gives it exactly what it wants. If you've got a problem with that, you really shouldn't go upsetting yourself by reading the reviews.

RATING: 4/5
DOWNLOAD FROM ZUNE: One Direction music
MORE FROM MSN: One Direction's messy cake habits
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