Bassel & The Supernaturals combines neo-soul and funk with captivating lyrics about love, loss, and a war in Syria that has affected Bassel Almadani’s family along with 10,000,000 others. The soulful Syrian-American vocalist and his ensemble broke out with their 2017 release Elements, which earned them critical praise from Noisey, Huffington Post, Associated Press, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Now This, PRI The World, Paste, and more. Bassel also donated over 20% of their merchandise proceeds to humanitarian relief through the Karam Foundation during their campaign. It also landed the band at SXSW’s 2017 “ContraBand: #MusicUnites” showcase featuring musicians from countries affected by the U.S. travel ban. A fantastic showcase that sent the message that music transcends borders to unite rather than divide.
Since then the band has been steadily gaining fans who not only appreciate their worldly take on soul music, but also love to dance. Today Glide is excited to premiere “Calculated Love”, the first song to be revealed from Bassel’s highly anticipated new album Smoke & Mirrors, which is set for release in May, 2019. The album continues the band’s message of a “Syrian heart, Chicago soul,” but also dismantles the myth of glamour, glitz and fame that people commonly perceive of entertainers. “Calculated Love” kicks off with a sharp bluesy guitar solo before bursting into a funky disco groove. Bassel Almadani lays his silky smooth and extra suave vocals over harmonic background singers and fiesty guitar and brass grooves. The music brings to mind retro acts like Earth, Wind & Fire alongside more modern groovers like Jamiroquai, making for a song that preaches love and invites the listener to grab a partner and hit the dance floor.
Bassel Almadani describes the inspiration behind the song in his own words:
“‘Calculated Love’ is about everyday real love – watching movies with sweat pants on, eating pizza, exchanging memes…it sets a different tone for meaningful love by contradicting the Hollywood romance we all seem to be chasing after. Creating ‘Calculated Love’ was truly an all-organic experience. The song came to life on its own through a seed we unknowingly planted during a rehearsal. There’s a natural energy to the song that made everything feel easy. Everyone chimed in, and it came together without a hitch. The experience of writing ‘Calculated Love’ helped me realize something profound about my own marriage. For years I have been struggling to capture the words to describe our love, yet lyrics were pouring out of me while writing this song. Nothing can quite describe the millions of little moments that enhance love, but without fun – love would have never came to be in the first place.”
LISTEN:
Credit Samer Almadani
