Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 11/17/2011 at 4:53 PM Reviews

The Popdust Files: bonus tracks, metallica, rihanna, talk that talk, track-by-track reviews

We spent most of Monday reviewing every song on the proper tracklist of Rihanna’s Talk That Talk (out Tuesday), but there was still something missing—the bonus tracks, three cuts available only on the LP’s deluxe edition. But, the internet being the bountiful Earth Mother that she is, even those three songs have been coughed up for general consumption. Stick around for a minute as we chop each of ‘em up for your reading pleasure and general edification.

Bonus Track #1: “Red Lipstick”

Sounds Like: At first, oddly enough, Metallica’s “Wherever I May Roam”—the squiggly synth riff that introduces the song is exceedingly reminiscent of the sitar riff that begins the metal classic. It’s not a totally inappropriate musical reference—the entire song is very grimy and lurching, the kind of sound you expected from Rihanna when you first heard about Talk That Talk‘s supposedly shockingly filthy and erotic content. Fat bass, wobbling synths, menacing strings, and Rihanna at her most seductively cold and commanding, promising (threatening?) to “do you right here while the whole world watching.”

Pros: Just about everything, really. We expected Talk That Talk to be bursting at the seams with songs like this, and while there are certainly a couple, there are few that pack quite the thrills that “Red Lipstick” does. Co producers The-Dream and Chase & Status get most of the credit for the awesome Metallica interpolation (and yes, it is intentional—James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich are even credited as writers on the song) and the thick, sinister groove they give Rihanna to play with, but Ri deserves her due as well, switching fluidly between her sex kitten, dispassionate seen-it-all and BDSM dominatrix personas throughout, sometimes in the same verse.

Cons: There’s not all that much of a chorus, and Rihanna uses the word “cray” at one point. (Suppose we should probably get used to the latter.)

Hard “R” Lyric: “Let me grab my tit while you sit on top.” (TBH, it doesn’t sound to us like she’s saying “tit”…but the word we hear doesn’t make much anatomical sense, so we’ll give the lyric sites the benefit of the doubt for now.)

Single-Worthy?: Absolutely. How it didn’t even make the album proper is one of 2011′s biggest pop mysteries.

Previously: All 11 tracks on Talk That Talk reviewed

POPDUST SAYS:
[starreview tpl=16]