2Seas Sessions as a general rule are fairly set to provide you with an impressive and often beautiful live listening experience. Hassan Bin Rashid’s session holds tight to that rule, presenting stunning performances, flawless musicianship, and a gorgeously soulful smoothness that’s blissfully easy to escape to.
Souls is a stand out song and performance from his recent set, a piece that takes various dashes of world music and fuses it among a melodically hypnotic and notably poetic bit of writing. The entire band put so much passion and skill into this. I heard a slight John Butler Trio vibe at one point, this upbeat, organic and raw yet addictively rhythmic aura – it all brings with it a calming sense of joy and contentment.
As a vocalist, Hassan performs with equal parts delicacy and power – reflecting pretty perfectly upon the passing moments of the song. You feel the underlying sentiment, the emotions connected to it – this is something you come to recognise throughout his performances, particularly these recent, completely live and genuine sessions. In addition, the build-up of the music creates further impact emotionally. Souls begins as a softly acoustic track that would seem right at home playing as the outro to The Beach or some other exotic adventure story.
Initially, there’s a hint of Eddie Vedder coming through from the high-end acoustic strum and the depth and soul of the leading voice. As things progress, the performance grows more and more entrancing. The initial softness evolves to include distortion, volume, even swagger as the cool-handed bass part steps up to lead the way. It’s a stunning few minutes of artistic expression and the song itself reaches out with such authenticity thanks to this incredibly well captured live session. Hassan Bin Rashid has a pure and natural connection to music and it’s a joy to witness him in his element like this, even more so with such an experienced and expressive band surrounding him.
Souls is just one track from a full set – check out Hassan’s complete session here. Find & follow him on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram to stay updated. Find & follow 2Seas Sessions on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. Visit their Website for more information & subscribe via YouTube for regular live performances.
