NEW RELEASE: 333 - Tinashe

 If you remember a few years back, you might have heard this club style RnB track talking something about getting 2 On.... Yes. That was Tinashe. Her label put her in so many fights and limbos she finally got away from the contract and has been releasing some okay solo work since. It has been enough to keep me interested, despite originally having only cared about 2 songs on "Aquarius", her debut.

Outside the bizarre album cover, Tinashe has slowly veered outside of dance/pop and into her own sort of indie RnB style of pop. 

"Let Go" takes a bit more of smooth hip/hop in musicality with an almost new ageish melody structure, and I find it interesting but not enough to rethink another listen.

"I Can See the Future" leans more into modern RnB pop influences, which I am more inclined to be interested in. I like this song better. Some of the lyricism falls a bit flat though.

"X" collaborates with Jeremih, who I honestly kind of thought we left somewhere back in the mid 2010s but I guess not. This song sounds like it wants to be a lot of things it isn't.

I would like to note this is, in fact, another album I went into with good intentions based off liking one of the singles and have thus far found myself unimpressed. "Shy Guy" has the same fate of "Death of a Thousand Cuts" in having music completely disjointed ruining the song and giving me a headache.

"Bouncin'" is too generic to even discuss. For someone who exited labels to be allowed creative freedom, it sounds like she did very little with it right now.

We are on to "Unconditional", which shows off her range and actual melodies better but I don't like the music that goes with it at ALL. It isn't as torturous as Japanese Breakfast but she's pushing it.

"Angels" includes Kaash Paige, whoever that is. This song is actually really nice. Easy to vibe with, smooth, seems a bit more emotion in it. I appreciate this one. 

"333" includes Absolutely, which I must again say whoever that is... It follows the similar vibe to the first track "Let Go", but the vocal choices here are now disruptive. 

Wax Motif is included on "Undo" and I won't repeat the line a 3rd time. This track actually sounds completely pop without RnB influences. I actually like this track a lot more. 

We then shift to "Let Me Down Slowly", and it seems maybe this album will end better than it started. She is leaning now more into smooth pop melodies and good vocals without disruptive experimental beats.

I think "Last Call" is genuinely the best song on the album. The emotion is there, the melodies fit, and it just sounds like a good radio pop ballad. 

"The Chase" sounds like she figured out how to use the kind of melodies she was using in Let Go and 333. 

"Pasadena" includes Buddy. Oh...a third verse rapper...Kind of upset me actually. I enjoyed the song MINUS his shitty part.

I really love the beat to "Small Reminders", you can just lay back and chill to this. It plays a bit with pop, hip-hop, and alternative all in one song. Almost Gwen Stefani like!

..."Bouncin" didn't need a part 2. Part one wasn't any good. Although I will say part 2 is a lot better than part 1.

Closing the album with a song titled "That's a Wrap" is just a choice worth taking. I don't like the other vocalists though. Damn, sometimes I am too picky.

Lyrics: 4/10 - Nothing exactly profound to be found here. 

Music: 5/10 - The end of the album is much better than the first half. Some experimentations that did not work here.

Overall: 5/10. I think there's a few tracks worth listening to, but don't think it is worth a full buy.