Treesha – Balance Me Out

One of the most exciting aspects of the current Roots-derived music ‘revival’ is the mass of super-talented women charging collectively to the front of the industry. Not least among these is the sensational Treesha, who has just dropped an equally sensational new video cut.

Balance Me Out, released via Zojak World Wide, sees the songstress team up with exciting Nigerian producer Nixon from Mega Records. The Glorious Hour Riddim was first released in 2018. But when something’s so good, it’s always worth revisiting it. Which is exactly what Treesha has done with this new video cut.

The track opens with that signature Roots bubble rhythm on the keys, plus a distinct skank on the guitars. The drums quickly come in with a one drop, with the kick doing the upbeat duties. Meanwhile, the bass is on an interesting two-bar riff – dropping on the downbeat of the first, but holding off until the upbeat on the second. This acts as a counterpoint to the offbeat instrumentation in the first bar, but then helps to drive it home in the second. The addition of some Funky electric guitar, at times doing a response to Treesha’s call, finishes off the well-constructed track perfectly.

Balance Me Out’s video is a joy, too. The juxtaposition of the intimate performance with the street shots and then the long, panned out beach montage is nicely done. It also serves as a visual representation of Reggae music and the way it encapsulates every area of life. And the lady herself is the consummate professional, looking completely at home in front of the camera.

But what makes Treesha’s interpretation of the riddim so special is, of course, her voice. She has a rare talent for being able to elicit a powerful singjay on the one hand, and a gloriously rich and controlled vocal performance on the other. With the latter she effortlessly glides across her alto and mid-soprano range. Her timbre is rich but with just enough rawness so as not to be too stoic. Her precise vocal runs, with each note clipped perfectly, show the technical skill in her voice. And her use of embouchure is delicious – taking the “out” and flipping it horizontally to make “oht”.

It’s great to see Treesha revisiting what is a classy cut with a new video. And let’s keep our fingers crossed this means some more new work from this most talented of artists is on the way.

Treesha Balance Me Out review by Steve Topple.