Rihanna 'Talk That Talk' Album: Experts Weigh In on Her Career

If the music industry is a machine, then Rihanna is a well-educated engineer, finely crafting a career that has taken her from a would-be pop clone to an artist etching out her own lane, controlling her sound, look and persona over the course of six years. Jay-Z once likened her to the Madonna of her generation, and with over 80 million albums and singles sold, more than 50 million fans on Facebook and legions of designers tripping over themselves to dress her, she's well on her way to entering the prestigious club of one-named music legends.

In September 2011, while still on tour promoting her 'Loud' album, the 23-year-old began to work on her latest release, due today (Nov. 21), and sixth LP, 'Talk That Talk' -- a sexier and decidedly raunchier project living between both the pop and dance worlds. The album's lead single, 'We Found Love,' written by Scottish singer-songwriter Calvin Harris, is an extraordinary, albeit erratic, thumping dance track that explores a new take on love's hangover. The single not only provided Rihanna with her 11th No. 1 single, but took her in a whole new direction.

"She's grown from the type of artist where the label and everybody picks records for her," vocal producer Kuk Harrell tells The BoomBox. Harrell, whose client roster includes Justin Bieber and Jennifer Lopez, produced all of the vocals for 'Talk That Talk' and first began working with the singer on her 2008 Grammy-winning song 'Umbrella.' The two have since developed a strong relationship making Harrell her go-to person whenever she's ready to record.

"It's a great chemistry because as a vocal producer my main thing is to have [the artist] feel comfortable and to allow them to be them before we even record anything," he states. "They have to feel like they trust me. When she gets in the booth that's a very vulnerable state for her. She's going to make mistakes as we're recording. Her tone is so distinct, she's brilliant as an artist, she knows what's right for her."