FEATURE:
Second Spin
Tinashe – Joyride
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RELEASED in 2018…
PHOTO CREDIT: Diego Villlarreal for Wonderland Magazine
Joyride is an album that scored less impressive reviews than earlier albums from Tinashe. 2015’s Nightride and 2019’s Songs for You gained wider acclaim. It is odd that critics were not completely sold on Joyride. It is a great album with some fine moments. There are a few collaborations through the album, though not so many that it becomes too packed and lacking in individual identity. Songs such as No Drama and Faded Loved are among the most memorable and compelling of Tinashe’s career. The tracks are arranged so that you get singles dispersed fairly evenly, rather than them all being in the top half. I think Tinashe’s vocals are strong - there is enough to appreciate for those new to her music. Before sourcing from two differing reviews, here is some information regarding the album’s reception and charting:
“Joyride is the third studio album by American singer Tinashe. It was released through RCA Records on April 13, 2018. The album features guest appearances from Offset, Ty Dolla Sign, French Montana, Little Dragon, and Future. The album also features production by Stargate, Dre Moon, Hit-Boy, T-Minus, and others.
The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, most of whom praised the album's composition and themes, however some criticized it for it not being cohesive like Tinashe's previous studio albums. The album debuted at number 58 on the US Billboard 200, selling 9,800 album-equivalent units, of which 4,710 came from pure sales”.
“Joyride debuted at number 58 on the US Billboard 200 for the week of April 28, 2018, selling 9,800 album-equivalent units in its first week, of which 4,710 came from pure sales. She debuted at number 12 on the Digital Album Sales chart that same week, a chart that ranks the top 50 of pure albums sales that week. The album sales are a decrease in what was originally predicted, being originally predicted to sell 15,000–20,000 album-equivalent units, with 5,000–7,000 being pure sales. The album also reached number 29 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album debuted at number 55 on the Canadian Albums Chart, becoming the singer's first album to chart on the chart.
The album achieved similar success internationally, reaching number 78 on the UK Albums Chart, making it her first album to chart since 2014's Aquarius, reaching the same peak as Aquarius. In Australia, the album performed similarly, reaching number 76 on the ARIA Charts. On the Dutch Albums chart, the album peaked at number 103, becoming the singer's first album to chart on the chart”.
I guess, looking at the chart positions, one can call Joyride a success. It did well and got some love, though there were a few that were a little less warm. I have a lot of time for an album that, after a few listens, gets into the head. I would urge people to seek it out and give it a good listen.
I want to bring in a review from AllMusic. Whilst there were some positive points in their review, I feel the overall tone is a little mixed:
“There was a point before the release of Joyride when the trajectory of Tinashe's music career appeared to be tracing that of Cassie. Tinashe had the platinum debut single with "2 On," a solid parent album, and waning momentum after relatively minor chart success with the follow-up singles. The situation worsened as the arrival of Joyride was delayed and a tour was consequently scrapped. By the time RCA matched Tinashe with labelmate Chris Brown for a non-album single in 2015 -- the year she planned to release Joyride -- it was evident that the singer and her label weren't on the same page. Two more years passed, during which Tinashe offered the stopgap commercial mixtape Nightride. A third and final version of Joyride was finally completed and released in April 2018. Remarkably, it bears no signs of a tough birth, even with the knowledge that the lead song -- the title track -- had been sold to Rihanna, unbeknown to Tinashe, who eventually bought it back. Sung in a lower register with a slightly devilish lilt, and further distinguished by Hit-Boy's slightly abrasive drums, "Joyride" simultaneously sounds like a fit for Rihanna and a striking way for Tinashe to begin her second proper album. The track ends with strings to neatly segue into the trap-styled "No Drama," where she takes a quick jab at those who have belittled her. It's one of two collaborations with Stargate, the lone full-track production holdovers from Aquarius. The other one, the bounding, bittersweet "Faded Love," features Future. Apart from the presence of those figures and some fleeting sourness, Tinashe keeps it moving with new studio support and another batch of compositions that cover romantic highs and lows. There are some missteps -- a tropical-flavored pop number that sounds a couple years late and easily forgettable, and the usage of grating bed-spring squeaks throughout the otherwise fine "Ooh La La." Nothing here is bound to pass "2 On" in terms of popularity, but the highlights are filled with rich details and seductive hooks, heard at full power on the slow jams "He Don't Want It" and "No Contest." The smoldering, slightly bluesy "Salt" and sweetly aching piano ballad "Fires and Flames" -- two additional highlights -- invalidate all claims that Tinashe is one-dimensional”.
I shall wrap it up in a minute. Before then, there is a review from NME that is more positive. They emphasise the sense of fun and energy Joyride possess.
“Boasting a plethora of famous pals, and a handful of absolute club bops, ‘Joyride’ is brilliantly good fun. Little Dragon collaboration ‘Stuck With Me’ is a tropical delight, and ‘Ain’t Good for Ya’ is the flute jam you never knew you needed. Yes there are lulls: lead single ‘No Drama’, a team-up with nouveau-rap royalty Offset, can clunk along; and the less said about ‘Ooh La La’ – which features the constant grate of bed springs – the better. But where there are lulls, there are also towering highs.
Steamy Future collab ‘Faded Love’ is a club-ready hit, with his braggadocio so brazen it goes past the point of ridicule to being totally convincing (lyrical highlights include the Pulitzer-worthy “Imma find your G-spot like you dropped your location.”) ‘Salt’, too, is sizzling, with Tinashe’s silky vocals hovering over a sultry bass line and sparse whirring electronics. The stripped-back and shimmering ballad ‘Fires and Flames’ soars. Tinashe and her fans were kept waiting a frustratingly long time for ‘Joyride’, but perhaps it was this extra time that gave her the opportunity to craft the album into the sensual, star-ridden offering she’s released”.
If you have not heard Tinashe’s Joyride, then have a listen to the album as it has many rewarding moments and tracks that will stay in the mind. I agree there are one or two tracks that are not overly-great, though most of the album is pretty solid. I believe that the effusive and enjoyable Joyride is worth…
SOME more time.