I’ve been a Tinashe supporter for a long, long, loooooooong time. Longer than some of you reading this post have been fans of R&B, I’m willing to bet. But after the critical success of her latest album Popstar, it seems like the world is finally catching up to what we knew decades ago – she’s a star just waiting to shine.
Label drama and creative missteps may have delayed her rise, but Tinashe’s talent was always undeniable. And her success was always certain.
But recent events have raised this question on my timeline: Is Popstar Tinashe’s best project to date?
I’M GLAD YOU ASKED! Because it’s time to rank not just her albums, but her often-forgotten mixtape run, which originally gave her all that buzz in the first place.
12. Nightride (2016)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3 stars out of 5
Edd said: The course correction that crashed and burned. After Tinashe’s debut leaned far too heavily on trends at the time, confusing Day One fans and boring critics, Nightride drove Tinashe right back into the dark, moody sounds that definded her early works. She feels more comfortable here – maaaaaybe a little too comfortable, in fact. While previous projects better balanced atmospheric sounds with more energetic production, this projects gets way too murky. It’s a chore to get through, sadly.
Forgotten favorites: “High Speed Chase,” “Soul Glitch”
11. Amethyst (2015)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3 stars out of 5
Edd said: Remember that debut album that seemingly no one (but sorta me) was happy with? Well, Tinashe went back to basics and returned to her mixtape grind. Like Nightride, while this feels more like an authentic Tinashe project instead of Boilerplate Mid-2010s R&B, the overall package feels undercooked. Yeah, it has the sparse production and spooky vibes of her original sound, but it lacks to cohesion and standout songs that defined earlier works. It’s a little rushed and incomplete – a complaint that will pop up in future projects as well.
Forgotten favorites: “Something to Feel”
10. 333 (2021)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: As the world was slowly emerging from the shackles of the pandemic, lord knows we needed something to lift the mood. Enter 333, which has Tinashe re-embracing electronic sounds to give us a few club-ready bangers – a needed change in an era drowning with dour beats. The writing isn’t nearly as inventive as past project though and even the production, while often lively, can sound samey after awhile. BTW “Bouncin” is the best Tinashe song ya’ll refuse to show love to.
Forgotten favorites: “Bouncin,” “Let Me Down Slowly,” “Small Reminders”
9. Joyride (2018)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: We’re at studio album No. 3 and Tinashe still feels like she’s wrestling with an identity crisis. Half of Joyride still feels burdened by forced attempts to land radio placements, with guests like Offset and Future not offering much but ad-libs and migraines. But then we get tracks like “Stuck With Me” that eases her sound in new spaces that feel like great fits. It’s another album that doesn’t quite seem like it knows what it wants to be. Thankfully, the standouts carry Tinashe through the rougher spots.
Forgotten favorites: “Stuck With Me,” “Fires and Flames,” “No Contest”
8. BB/Ang3l (2023)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: This was the toughest album to rank, as I’ve gone back and forth on my frustrations with this project for years. Y’all know me as the guy who champions projects with little filler and tight runtimes. So, you’d assume I’d love this super brief but impactful electronic romp. “Talk to Me Nice” feels like audio hypnosis with that nonstop pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop in the background. But besides the two singles and a couple other tracks, the overall experience feels hollowed out. Like Amethyst, the brevity feels more incomplete than concise. But the good stuff is really good, so I understand why this project is so pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-popular.
Forgotten favorites: “Talk to Me Nice,” “Needs,” “None of My Business”
7. Aquarius (2014)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: Oooh boy. This album. If you think the “who is the savior of R&B” convos are annoying now, you should have been with us in the mid-2010s, when R&B fans were begging for a fresh face to move the increasingly-stagnant genre forward. Tinashe’s impressive mixtape run made her a great candidate for R&B’s new princess, and clearly RCA agreed … so they stripped her of her unique mixtape sound for a more mainstream-friendly approach. The direction was accosted by fans and, look, I wasn’t happy with it either. However, from an objective standpoint, Aquarius is not a bad project. It attempts to balance her alt-R&B leanings with a more radio-ready sound, and it works in many cases. When it doesn’t work, the project really falls off a cliff. But its best moments proved Tinashe had the talent and individuality to stand on her own. It was a middling start, but she’d find her way.
Forgotten favorites: “Cold Sweat,” “Far Side of the Moon,” “2 On”
6. Quantum Baby (2024)
Soul In Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: Man, the Quantum Baby era frustrated me. As a longtime Tinashe fan, I was very happy to see her get a viral hit and gain long-deserved mainstream eyeballs. I was not happy that that breakout was “Nasty,” which I found as bland as a mayo and tapioca sandwich. Thankfully, Quantum Baby doesn’t simply chase that hit’s formula, instead embracing quirky production, catchy hooks, and the vocal versatility that makes Tinashe such an intriguing artist. Again, it’s another short project – barely more than 20 minutes – and feels like a skeleton of a better project that never occurred, but there’s enough infectious anthems not named “Nasty” to keep things interesting.
Forgotten favorites: “Getting No Sleep,” “Thirsty,” “When I Get You Alone”
5. In Case We Die (2012)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: And this is where Tinashe’s story began. In an era when moody, atmospheric sounds were starting to take over R&B, Tinashe jumped in the game as our new dark angel. Her mysterious vibe and breathy delivery certainly had onlookers comparing her to the mighty Aaliyah, but In Case We Die quickly moved beyond inspiration to stand on its own. Admittedly, some of the electronic sounds are a bit too ambitious (ie, GRATING) but it’s a nice bridge between the previous decade of R&B and the evolving sound of the moment. It established her as a star to watch.
Forgotten favorites: “My High,” “I Tried,” “Crossing the Cosmo”
4. Songs for You (2019)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: After years of false starts, bad label decisions, and chasing trends, Songs for You felt like the first time Tinashe truly found her footing. It’s her first outing as an independent artist and the freedom is immediately apparent, as tracks like “Feelings,” “Hopscotch,” and “Know Better” showcase the moody, versatile, and uniquely Tinashe sound that made her so intriguing in the first place. While the album occasionally stumbles into generic trap&B clichés, and easily could have trimmed two or three tracks, it was confirmation that Tinashe is at her best when she’s in control.
Forgotten favorites: “Know Better,” “Story of Us,” “Life’s Too Short”
3. Popstar (2026)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: Some artists have the unfortunate luck of peaking right out of the gate, and forever have to chase a high they cannot regain. Others spend years experimenting, refining and reinventing themselves until they find that one sound that clicks. It took Tinashe eight albums and four mixtapes, but she’s finally the Popstar we all predicted she’d be. Her most recent album, and most celebrated to date, combine high-octane pop, experimental electronics, dance vibes straight from the catwalk, and tried-and-true R&B into a daring narrative on artistic identity. She takes huge risks, often changing course mid-song to provide a completely different sonic experience. It shouldn’t work, but it usually does. USUALLY. Some of the experimentation can come off a bit jarring and, once again, some songs don’t feel fully-formed, more like rough drafts or outlines. Still, Popstar is the most daring record of Tinashe’s career, a risk that has come with great rewards. It’s her best LP to date.
Forgotten favorites: “Melatonin,” “Crash Out,” “Popstar”
2. Black Water (2013)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: Yeah, there was something in the water when Tinashe dropped that original mixtape trilogy. The third leg of her mixtape Triforce dives even deeper into her alt-R&B bag, fully embracing the moody vibes and woeful atmosphere. But instead of becoming a mellow bore, Black Water’s songwriting and arrangements feel much more purposeful and focused than much of her later efforts. It may not have the high profile of her later releases but it’s an essential part of her evolution.
Forgotten favorites: “Midnight Sun,” “1 for Me,” “Fugitive”
1. Reverie (2012)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: If your Tinashe fandom began in the “Nasty” era, you’ll probably scoff at the high ranking of these early-era mixtapes. If you haven’t heard them, I implore you to listen because all of them, specifically Reverie, are what made me a believer. Reverie builds off her original landmark release with stronger production and bolder writing but still maintained that haunting vibe that gave each song a cinematic edge. And while it would have been easy for Tinashe to drop a carbon copy of what came before, Reverie smolders with the artistic leaps she’d be known for in future projects – from the addictive bounce of “Another Me” to the synthy march of the title track. From front to back, she’s yet to release a project as seamless and captivating as this one. If I was ranking the best R&B mixtapes of all time (hmmmm, maybe I should), Reverie would be mighty close to the top of that list.
Reverie is the project that had us all shining up her crown – it would just take another decade and a half before y’all were ready to hand it over. But way back in 2012, we already knew the day was coming. Better late than never.
Forgotten favorites: “Stargazing,” “Yours,” “Another Me”
I’m sure y’all will have opinions about this ranking. Let us know how you’d rank Tinashe’s albums below.
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