Wrash Heed’s blend of afrobeat with quite accessible pop sensibilities, alongside some terrific musical ideas all prove his latest EP This Is It to be a short, sweet, concise, and a pretty easy to love listen.
Another noteworthy musical export from Africa, Wrash Heed is the stage name for Nigerian native Rasheed Osanyinpeju, based in the capital Lagos. A singer and songwriter whose deep roots in afrobeat lend themselves to his pop-conscious musicality. Wrash Heed’s songs are delightful and direct, little, pop gems that feature engaging and quite special rhythms, courtesy of Rasheed’s home country.
This Is It showcases Wrash Heed as a generally versatile artist, blending pop, RnB, soul and afrobeats with delicious fluency. The five tunes comprising this EP are all uniformly melodic and chill, with astoundingly crisp mixes that highlight Rasheed’s playful and vulnerable deliveries, alongside his delectable beats, and pop-centered song structures. The pieces are lightweight mostly, leading more to an album that just feels like a breeze.
‘Taken or Single’ highlights some intricate guitar usage, a rumbling bass line, and a generally very dynamic atmosphere. A brilliant, addictive starter. Another great entrance is the lively and subtly energetic ‘Showcase’, a song that introduces Wrash Heed’s sunny side with its optimistic melodies and familiar sounding chord structure, and on the tail end of the album we have ‘My Road’, one of the EP’s nicest, softest, and most approachable pieces with its subdued and gentle bass, warm ad libs, and touching composition.
For a 13-minute long listen, This Is It genuinely punches way further than it should. But with solid songwriting, lyrical prowess, and extremely fulfilling and engaging mixes, This Is It is easily a masterful listen, displaying Wrash Heed as a truly unique curator of afrobeats and pop who has potential to dominate this steadily growing market with artful musicianship and a delicate songwriting balance.