Reviewer: Paul Leslie
You think you’ve seen and heard everything in music, and then along comes an artist like The Treatment. His debut album, “One Way Ticket,” is a captivating ride. It’s not all entertainment, but rather listening gives you the impression that he’s a communicator of the profound. However, that’s not to say he takes himself too seriously.
Being an entertainer is very much a part of the tracks he writes and records. At times it’s deep, philosophical stuff. On “One Way Ticket,” the delivery is smooth and really call the attention of the listener to the lyrics. TxT is saying something with his tracks.
Inspired by Das Racist (the hip hop group comprised of Heems and Kool A.D.), Yelawolf, China Mac and Caskey, The Treatment’s delivery and production hits your ears with a kind of sleekness. From the first track, “Can’t figure it out,” the listener is left impressed. I wanted to know more. Who is this cat?
The Treatment hails from Queens, New York. I was interested to learn he was born in Punjab, India. After enjoying the rap art form, he decided it was time to make his recorded statement. His motivation? “This is to get my inner thoughts out. There are world issues, but then there are inner and outer issues. I’m processing life through rap and lyrics.” Indeed.
He’s mostly a solo recording artist, he explained to me. “I wrote the whole album, with the exception of one verse in that song ‘Scrounging.’ Dah One is my friend.” “Scrounging” is a great collaboration on the album and the two seem like an ideal vocal match.
There’s also some imaginative sampling. Take the enjoyable, reggae-infused “Knickdreams.” The Treatment samples Bob Marley on that cut. It’s cool.
Some of the songs are really one of a kind, for example “She Said,” that show the artist has a realness to him. The track’s production is different. Speaking of different, I’ve never heard a sound like “True.”
But in a world full of copycats, different is good. Take whatThe Treatment said when I asked about the icon he admires. He didn’t hesitate: “Condoleezza Rice.” When pressed as to why, he put it like this: “Young girl in Birmingham, went on to become whatever she wanted.” The rapper went on to say, “She dreamed big and achieved it with hard work.”
You get the impression he’s a writer with a deeper understanding of the world, or at the very least a yearning to understand.
Find out what a man seeks and you’ll learn a lot about him. The Treatment is looking for enlightenment in this life of ours. Something tells me his quest is fed by just the right amount of confidence and humbleness. His music is kind of like that.
So if you want to tune in, check out the album. It’s free for all, so feel free to listen:
