“I put your joy and your feelings before mine/These days I’m angry, angry inside.” This devastating couplet on “Silent Nite” opens Tink’s 2020 release, A Gift and A Curse, voiced as a richly harmonized, Auto-Tuned chorale without a beat. It is a self-assured and bold start to another consistent project from the Chicago singer and rapper—her third after being released from a dysfunctional major-label deal. As a seven-song EP following LP Hopeless Romantic the same year, A Gift and A Curse could by rights have functioned as a inconsequential stopgap measure or postscript. Instead, it is stocked with all-time standouts in Tink’s catalog—songs whose immediate pop appeal is fueled by her heartfelt delivery and the hairpin emotional turns of the lyrics. Tink’s tough-as-nails narrators sound strongest when they are acknowledging that they are not always able to be strong. The bouncy and brutal “Bottom Bitch”—which racked up tens of millions of streams in the year following its release—demonstrates this expertly, shunting through a series of emotional contrasts within short verses. “Even though we done, I wouldn’t put you through no pain/But it hurt my heart to know you don’t feel the same. … You broke my heart, now the situation’s messy /And I hate myself for the way I let you disrespect me,” Tink croons over a sticky melodic lick with a combination of nonchalance, melancholy, and muted fury. For fans of Hopeless Romantic, A Gift and A Curse is a must-listen—an extension of its musical and lyrical universe. Certain tracks even feel like companion pieces to moments on the album—see the melodic motifs and flows shared between “Motives” and Hopeless Romantic’s standout “Cut It Out”—while functioning at an equally high level. Elsewhere, there are experiments that seem like firsts for Tink stylistically as she adopts a deep-seated soulfulness over updated takes on old-school R&B feels. With its gestures toward gospel and neo-soul, downtempo closer “Lessons” ranks among her very finest songs, giving thanks—a touch heartfelt, a touch ironic—to an ex for helping her understand what she doesn’t want.