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Tinashe “Talk to Me Nice”

“You got options, I got options” Tinashe sings in “Talk to Me Nice,” a song about what sounds like a very pleasant situationship that nevertheless has a tension running through it that suggests that there’s more angst and unresolved feelings expressed in this music than she’s letting on in the lyrics. Nosaj Thing and Scoop DeVille’s track centers a tranquil keyboard tone but frames it with syncopated beats that signal both sexiness and mild anxiety, not exactly undermining the vibe but definitely complicating the mood of it. My favorite musical move in this song comes after the chorus, when the chords shift up for an overtly melancholic bridge sequence in which Tinashe drops the carefree NSA front for a moment to get into what she truly values – loyalty, realness, feelings money can’t buy. She’s not negating anything she’s said there, but you do get the impression she’s wanting more than she’s getting and trying to smooth out some cognitive dissonance.

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