For her latest release, Meresha is pulling out the big guns behind the mic and divvying out some of the most decadent melodies her discography has hosted to date. Titled “Red Headed Lover,” Meresha’s all-new single and music video collectively sport some of really slick grooves that could be described as both funky and yet completely removed from the retro pop movement transpiring in the American underground at the moment. The beat does battle with her agile lead vocal for the lion’s share of the spotlight, but in the end, it’s the listeners who step away from this track as victors.

Official Website: https://www.meresha.com/

Meresha’s singing has always struck me as being some of the more naturally potent stuff to be found in her scene contemporarily, but this has got to be the ultimate example of her full-throated vocal defining the heart and soul of a song. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had to dial her back digitally in post-production just for the sake of giving the synthesizers a little room to breathe in this mix – after all, while her voice is dagger-like in all the right ways, it does need something to slice through in order to demonstrate versatility in this single.

The groove here is as big as a mountain and occasionally feels like a throwback to mid-80’s Prince, but it’s nothing that Meresha isn’t capable of handling. On paper, one would have to really wonder whether or not she was getting overambitious in trying to get as robust a rhythm to work with in this situation as possible, but in practice she unleashes a side of her persona that is more than adept in high pressure moments – it thrives in them. I like this look she’s boasting, and I wouldn’t mind seeing her go this hard after a hook in future recordings as well.

I will say that I think the bassline is a little overstated in a couple of spots, but this doesn’t go without some purpose. Meresha definitely has a fun time playing around with the slithering low-end tonality we find on the other side of the hook, and because of the aforementioned funkiness of the overall rhythm I suppose there’s an excuse for the bass element’s grandeur. Hers is a provocative way of doing business, but in the pop genre, is there really any other way to be while still finding some legitimate success?

I-HEART RADIO: https://www.iheart.com/artist/meresha-30022464/songs/red-headed-lover-121554052/?autoplay=true

Fans who don’t already have Meresha on their indie radar this February really need to go out of their way to see what they think about “Red Headed Lover.” It’s uncomplicated but faceted with enough intricacy that we get a good handle on what its composer can do when nothing is in her way creatively, and whether found in the music video or in the single by itself, the groove that gives this track its sexy swing is almost guaranteed to grab your attention. “Red Headed Lover” sees an ongoing experiment getting even steamier, and the science behind it looking all the more credible.

John McCall