Mixtape Review-Winters Diary 2 by Tink

by Dan-O

The unquestionable sincerity of emotion that runs right through the center of Winters Diary 2 holds it together despite all other limitations. The fact that her voice doesn’t have that Beyonce or Jennifer Hudson range actually turns into a positive. She sings in an affectionate coo throughout that makes her inimitable. On a song like Lullaby where most of the top R&B ladies would be tempted to hit that Mariah Carey register ,to impress, Tink stays in pocket and promises in hushed tones to be everything you want her to be. For someone not well acquainted with her work she’s more than that on this project.

I have a deep affection for the songwriting on Winters Diary 2. In this era of music where hip hop and R&B most times merge into a sticky sweaty x-rated affair she talks about love all throughout the project with the abiding determination of someone on a mission to get it right. I’m not sure if she’d agree but the project is about the tumult of being in a relationship with hip hop. Hip hop stays in the street too much, cheats on you and teaches you to be about your money. She talks about relationships through these different prisms. On Money Ova Everything she pleads “All I wanna do is get this dough with you” but the search for money proves second to building the love and trust a relationship needs to survive.

The production is not trailblazing, it owes a lot to 90’s booty music but you know what…I loved 90’s booty music. You can picture Aaliyah’s dance choreography for the video she would make out of Tink’s 2 and 2. If you want that production style you can find a thousand people doing it. You won’t find anyone willing to implore and confess so much of what a lot of people would call corny or cheesy while really understanding that it’s just a search that makes us uncomfortable. A lot of datpiff downloaders would be more comfortable hearing Tink brag about how low she could drop it than starting her lead single with “Somebody real is hard to find somebody worth all your time somebody you hope will tell you the truth someone who loves you for you (Treat Me Like Somebody).” It would be corny if she was beating the same drum the whole time but she switches gears on Dirty Slang and Freak Like Me singing with a smirk and turning up when she needs too.

Its blasphemy but on my favorite moment on Winters Diary 2 (track 4 HML) I felt like I was listening to Mary J Blige What’s The 411 for the first time and getting acquainted with someone who could make her soul music equal parts sexy, affable, and endearing; someone that can spin painful stories into gleeful survivor music. It wasn’t until later (the last track in fact) that Winters Diary 2 revealed its plot twist and how the characters search for love crashes downward. It was a nice twist but I don’t put something on repeat for a twist. The journey of Winters Diary 2 means a lot to anyone brave enough to admit the importance of love. So naturally I bump that.

Stream or download Winters Diary 2 below:
http://www.datpiff.com/Tink-Winters-Diary-2-mixtape.570560.html