Album Review: Tinashe - 333

Tinashe has had a rough ass career. It’s been unfortunate for her to be a poster child (one of many) for how you can conform to all of the industries beauty standards, be a great dancer, put out songs which should (and could) be hits, and still have a major record label bench your whole shit. But Tinashe has also shown that she’s a poster child for resilience and being able to stay true to a vision. And vision is the theme for her latest album 333. But whilst 333 may declare that Tinashe’s third eye on the world is as wide open as her legs in the “Bouncin’” video, Tinashe still doesn’t really fully see herself.

One thing that I feel gets misunderstood about Tinashe is that she just wants to be different for the sake of being different, and doesn’t want to do ‘regular’ songs or anything for radio, which I don’t think is true. Tinashe’s songs have always fallen in line with trends. There is a whole-ass pop song on 333 and a handful of other songs which would make great singles.

Tinashe often gets boxed as that moody trap 'n' R&B chick, because that’s been the sound she’s consistently done, but it’s never been her only sound. And I think part of why Tinashe is yet to really break through is because people can’t see past that, which is unfortunate. But I also feel that whilst Tinashe finds comfort in these types of songs, she also clings to them because she feels that they are a part of her musical identity. And there appears to be a level of fear and reluctance which Tinashe has to move out of the sound completely, because of how people will then see her. She’s a sell-out. She try’na be different. But what 333 shows is that Tinashe actually shines brightest and displays more facets of her musicality and persona when she steps outside of these types of songs. And that perhaps for her next album she should step out of them outright. Either that, or take the moody trap 'n' R&B sound in whole new directions, which the genre has been in dire need of for a minute. Quite frankly, Tinashe needs to do this, because she's done the same sound on her past 4 albums. Not only is it wearing a little thin now, but Tinashe has outgrown it.

With this said, I don’t dismiss the moody Trap&B tracks. The song “X” featuring Jeremih would have made a great single. And the album title track is an interesting take on switching up the sound. But the issue with these songs is that they don’t provide Tinashe much bandwidth to really do anything other than sing-rap, and there are a dime a dozen other artists doing the exact same thing, but with much better choruses on songs with better structures and production. “Last Call” is the best example of one of many ways in which Tinashe could approach these moody Trap&B songs if she’s going to stay on the sound, because the focus isn’t trap. Even if you strip out the trap drums and 808s, you still have a great song, because the guitars which run through the song and how Tinashe weaves her way through them and floats over them vocally are what carry it. No matter which way you cut it, the non Trap&B cuts on 333 are the best ones, and where Tinashe's exhibits the most growth and has that third eye optic blasting like Cyclops.

For a while now I’ve felt that one of Tinashe’s sweetest spots is dance music. Her song with KDA “Don’t Say” was a great dance cut which absolutely should have been a hit across Europe. And her appearance on Kaytranada’s Bubba joint “The Worst In Me” was fantastic. So it comes as no surprise that the dance songs on 333 are some of the highlights of the album. 

Kaytranada and Tinashe team up again for the song “Unconditional”, which retains the dark and moody vibe you’d associate with Tinashe, but without it being in the template of trap. And “Shy Guy” is just a straight up drum & bass song (one which deserved to be more than just a minute long interlude). And you can hear just in the way Tinashe sings on these songs that she approaches them differently vocally;  tapping into facets of her voice that the music on the likes of “X” and “Bouncing’” do not invite her to.

When Tinashe pulls at the dance and threads, 333 soars. But she dips into Trap&B, it’s like the album is being dragged through tar. Even on the songs which have the Trap&B elements, but switch up and transition through styles, the Trap&B sections are the weakest parts of the songs. “333” is great for the 2 and half minutes where the trap drum tracks are put on mute. 

The album opens weak, takes off in the middle and then slogs at the very end. Every trough on 333 is because of the heel-toe to Trap&B. Often unwarranted. For some reason, Tinashe gave us “Bouncing, Pt. 2”, which slows the original “Bouncin’” all the way down and drags it into Trap&B territory. I get that Tinashe's inspo for this was probabaly to give the strip clubs a version of "Bouncin'". But it's a song about throwing that thang back with speed and gusto. So to drop the tempo of the song so drastically and suck every ounce of energy and fun out of it, what exactly is gonna be bouncin'?

On 333 I get a sense that Tinashe is wrestling with what she wants to do and what people expect her to do. But what Tinashe really needs to do is answer the question for herself of what she feels defines a Tinashe song. And I think that when she discovers this, she’ll start to realise her own potential, and that she can let some things go. This also extends to the songwriting. Tinashe’s music has always had an underlying current of sexuality and sensuality. But on 333 it can feel like you're listening to the same song with a different beat. Whenever a song feels like Tinashe might be giving us something more and tapping into something a little different (which she's done multiple times), 333 snaps back to ‘Dis ass. Sippin’. Smokin’. These titties.’ I live for a song about all of these things, but I know Tinashe has so much more to say than JUST this and I want to hear her say it.

Tinashe’s musical tastes are eclectic. Despite always declaring as such in interviews, it never always came through in the music. But 333 feels like one of the first albums of Tinashe’s where I can actually hear her tastes and inspirations, and she’s choosing to make music based off of it. But Tinashe needs to find a way to make all of these styles sit together as a body of work and less of an audio mood board. Tinashe seems like the type of artist who has a maelstrom of ideas in her head and just expels them. But once the ideas are out, Tinashe seems to have a hard time refining them and condensing them. Sometimes this can yield really great songs, such as "Small Reminders", which is like 3 songs in one and takes you on more of a journey in 3 minutes than the collective 40 minutes worth of music preceding it. But on the whole, the result is always excess. Whilst it’s great to see the breadth of Tinashe’s ideas and to see her explore her creativity without restraints, I think the next step for Tinashe is to start filtering these ideas down. 333 feels a little too sprawling, and sometimes loses focus at points. Had Tinashe really tightened up the tracklist, this album would have come off far better. As much as I like "X", 333 coulda started at "Shy Guy" and ended at "Small Reminders" and been a tighter package.

333 has some great songs on it, but much like Tinashe herself, there’s unrealised potential in many of them. Not every hook is as strong as it should be. The song structures aren’t as tight as they should be. The arrangements aren’t as layered as they could be. There’s a mixtape approach to this album which can be endearing - especially since Tinashe started out releasing mixtapes before getting signed, and these releases are ones which her fans still hold dear. But Tinashe needs to evolve past that style of making music. Keeping the hunger and the drive, but evolving the technique and the approach of the sonics. Tinashe needs to be in the midst of producers who can really help her elevate; staying true to herself, but still pushing her music in the directions that make her shine the brightest. Kaytranada needs to be a mainstay. Danja would be a good fit for Tinashe. And Devonté Hynes would also be a great person for Tinashe to work with on an album.

The richness that Tinashe sees in herself and is mining to keep her career going needs to come through in the songs tenfold. There are flecks of it on 333. And every song not being everything it had the potential to be doesn’t ruin any of them by a long shot. Tinashe needs to fully move past feeling that she’s underground or a mixtape artist. But 333 is a big step towards Tinashe exercising the musical freedom she's long been entitled to.

VERDICT: PUSSYROBICS STARTS AT 7

Highlights:
■ X 🔥
■ Shy Guy 🏆
■ Bouncin’
■ Unconditional 🔥
■ 333
■ Undo (Back to My Heart)
■ Let Me Down Slowly 🔥
■ Last Call 🔥
■ Pasadena
■ Small Reminders 🔥