Quantum Baby - Tinashe: Review
Review By Lavender:
Tinashe is an R&B singer who took a while to warm up on me. She spent pretty much the entire 2010s releasing material consistently that occasionally flirted with critical acclaim on moments like 2014's Aquarius. But I didn't really become a Tinashe fan until a few years ago when her absolutely excellent 2021 album 333 caught me by complete surprise. The album was full of slick, infectious, and sensual R&B songs and stood out to me instantly as her best work to date. She followed that up in 2023 with the short but sweet BB/ANG3L and dropped one of the biggest hits of her entire career Nasty as the lead single to this new album. Unfortunately, while Quantum Baby is a decent album, it doesn't fall in line with the momentum she's built up over the past few years.
You don't need me to tell you that Nasty is an absolute fucking banger. One of the songs of the summer put Tinashe's name back in front of so many people who should have already been tapped in and became a sort of cultural phenomenon for the "match my freak" lyric. It may be the best song Nashe has ever made, but it isn't the only strong moment from the second half of Quantum Baby. No Broke Boys wasn't an official single but she teased it with a snippet before the album released. It took me a few listens to get over the nasally singing on the chorus but once it clicked with me it really clicked. The song has some of the hookiest refrains on the entire record and the vocal harmonizing throws it back to the girl group era of pop in a way I really appreciate.
Thirsty is the best bedroom am on the record and makes for an incredibly welcome moment after a slow start. Tinashe's singing on the hook is flawless as her breathy vocals hang on every word and she makes sure it comes through crystal clear. My other favorite deep cut is Cross That Line mostly because the punchy drums paired with impossibly sweet refrains reminds me of some of my favorite moments from 333 and there's one standout refrain after another.
In contrast, there's another half of the album that doesn't really display just how unique Tinashe is. When I Get You Alone is the most "just okay" song here. It does a ton of stuff Tinashe is no stranger to like the thumping bass and playful sensuality. It sounds find but it's basically painting by numbers for Nashe until a slick instrumental switch-up at the end that lasts less than a minute. The other single Getting No Sleep slots in here too. It has a great hypnotic chorus but getting there can be a bit of a snooze and the song is incredibly on the nose thematically.
The weakest points on the record see Tinashe leaning into a cloudy and imprecise style of R&B that has never been her specialty. Opener No Simulation is a very underwhelming start without any real core sonically or thematically. Even the lyrics about how it has to be "true" rather than simulated feel underbaked. It's the same story with Red Flags whose specious instrumentation actually works against the thematic switch-up. The song is an interesting meditation on how someone can linger in your mind even when you know they were in the wrong, but it's presented in such a boring fashion that paying attention to the details is nearly impossible.
Quantum Baby isn't a bad album but it's a pretty sizeable step back from Tinashe's last few outings. With just 8 tracks in the mix each miss is even more sizeable and each time she fails to show what elevates her from her contemporaries, the momentum on the album slows. What results is a short project that has its big highlights but is ultimately just a mixed bag, despite the enormous head start it got with Nasty. 5.5/10
For more R&B check out a rapid fire reviews segment on the genre from last month.
