Tinashe would be justified in hyping
333 as her finest and most artful work. Whereas her previous album, the self-released
Songs for You, followed a protracted conflict with RCA and was pieced together -- and despite no shortage of highlights, sounded like it --
333 sees the singer truly settling into independence. There's a near surplus of the breathy slow jams and midtempo cuts that roll and skitter like the tracks on which she built her reputation. Each one of those songs uniquely tweaks the approach to make it sound fresh. Nestled inside the first batch of them is an indication that
333 has much more to offer than refinements: a speedy and atmospheric drum'n'bass interlude sent aloft by
Tinashe's alluring falsetto. Later tracks surprise with changes in tempo, style, and mood. High-tension beats drop out midway and crawl back in mutated form with
Tinashe either handling the transitions with elegance or handing off the mike to a compatible featured artist. Any one of three sections in "Small Reminders" could have been separated and developed into a highlight; as a composite, it dazzles, peaking in the middle with funk so bumptious and rubbery that it could turn
Anderson .Paak green. "Undo (Back to My Heart)" does the 1983-themed emotional repairment night drive as well as any of
Tinashe's contemporaries, while "The Chase" evokes roughly the same era in full-on pop anthem mode. For all its sharp turns,
333 has a fluidity and high level of conviction that
Tinashe's previous full-lengths lack. ~ Andy Kellman