Track Review: Tinashe Brings Back Nashe™ With "Rascal"

Tinashe has blessed us again. The "2 On" songstress has returned with "Rascal (Superstar)," an outtake from her stellar career-defining Songs for You. Over a sleek Sage the Gemini (yes, the guy who made "Red Nose") beat, Tinashe sings about "Money, cash, clothes, fast cars/Fast lane, dash playin' with the Nascars." The sparse production is accentuated by Tinashe's vocal delivery. Across her many talents, Tinashe is an indisputably skilled vocalist. On "Rascal," she juxtaposes opera-influenced background vocals against a languid vocal delivery in the verses. This relaxed style steadily progresses across the pre-chorus and eventually morphs into a more staccato delivery in the hook. This constant evolution plays well against the song's relatively simple production. "Rascal" shows Nashe™, Tinashe's alter ego, in full force. In the same vein as Song for You's "Cash Race" and "Link Up," this is a track that is delightfully cocky and light-hearted — a welcome break from the heavier tracks that 2020 has treated us with.

Score: 70