Rock/Review Hassan Bin Rashid - My 21 Grams
Starting his musical journey in Tampa, Florida, and now based between Bahrain, Dubai, and London, Hassan Bin Rashid is truly an international person on the planet. His mother tongue is Arabic, and he is very proud of his heritage.
Hassan Bin Rashid’s “My 21 Grams” is one of its kind and a magical effort that brings East and West together successfully. The fact is that as a singer-songwriter and Bahraini prince, he combines Western rock sounds originated in Florida, the Netherlands, and New Zealand with Arabian sounds that have been brought into him since childhood.
In particular, the title of the album, “My 21 Grams," gives an insight into the range of feelings and thoughts that are infused in the record. Hassan’s soul has a weight equivalent of 21 grams. This album is based on this notion, as it tries to depict the weight of Hassan’s own soul in different situations. These songs are deep expressions of him inside.
On “My 21 Grams”, the musical journey is deep and multilayered. This style invokes emotional, heavy soundscapes akin to Pearl Jam's or Pink Floyd's and Radiohead’s, along with storytelling that reminds one of Bob Marley, Matthew’s Dave, and Dylan. The combination of all these diverse influences comes together to form an extremely deep and introspective sonic reflection.
Hassan’s mixing of western and eastern music proves that he is a man with vision who creates art as it were. Fewer albums have ever been seen crossing the range of musical genres without losing focus or being boring. This is how they created a diverse body of work that could relate to individuals from different parts of life and music preferences.
It is also worth noting that “My 21 Grams” is able to depict common notions as well as feelings that are universal and beyond language borders. It turns the album into a bridge that brings together different worlds and invites listeners to discover what connects us.
“My 21 Grams,” by Hassan Bin Rashid, is an amazing musical journey that cannot be tagged into one category. A great effort at fusing Eastern and Western sounds has made this album emotionally evocative and interesting to listen to. His capacity to draw on many different kinds of musical ideas to construct his own identity and reason for being in the world demonstrates Hassan Bin Rashid’s creative abilities in this regard. “My 21 Grams” can never be forgotten, as it goes beyond just being a musical work because it touches our souls and links us together in the world using the power of music.