All of the emotional healing I thought I’d done completely backfired when Canadian singer and songwriter Daniel Caesar released “NEVER ENOUGH” on Friday.
In high school, Caesar’s falsetto voice impressed me in his popular songs “Best Part” and “Get You,” both tracks on his first studio album “Freudian” in 2017. I still listen to these songs six years later.
He established a solid reputation for himself as an R&B and soul male artist, even among newcomers like Giveon and Brent Faiyaz, whose vocal ranges and sounds resemble Caesar’s.
The second track, “Valentina,” is a neo-soul track about wanting a woman who is already spoken for.
Caesar said he wrote the verse, but credits his younger brother, Zachary, in writing the chorus and producing the beat for his love interest, according to a Friday Variety article.
The keyboard washes gave “Valentina” a funky feel and while I enjoyed listening to it the first time, I can’t see myself adding it to my own playlist.
It’s evident that Caesar is experimenting with different styles of music in this album and perhaps is trying to be a versatile artist, especially in the fifth track, “Do You Like Me?” where his falsetto is remarkable.
Caesar is evidently a romantic in his streaming hits, but comes across as toxic in the first verse, “Do you like the way I talk to you?/ Do I titillate your mind?/ Gotta say I like your attitude.”
Although it’s an R&B song, the guitar in Caesar’s instrumental reminded me of the song “Through and Through” by alternative and pop artist khai dreams.
In “Always,” Caesar yearns for a past lover he hopes to rekindle with, despite their scorned history and present lives.
He’s insistent on letting her know that their relationship can be the same again in the lyrics, “And I’ll be here/ ‘Cause we both know how it goes/ I don’t want things to change/ I pray they stay the same, always.”
The instrumental accompanies his conflicting emotions by switching from breathtaking background vocals to sharp moments with drums and bass.
Overall, the song is a soft but powerful ballad with a blend of instruments to drive Caesar’s point further.
“Always” is undoubtedly the star of Caesar’s newest album and yet, he does it a huge disservice by placing it as sixth out of 15 songs on the tracklist.
Caesar said he stepped into a producer role for “NEVER ENOUGH,” according to the same Variety article.
It seems like he’s navigating an ever-changing music industry and was unsure where to take his music style from his second studio album, “CASE STUDY 01,” in 2019.
“Always” makes me want to lay on the floor and stare aimlessly at the ceiling while it plays on a three-hour loop. The other 14 songs? I couldn’t bother to listen to them a second time.
I wished Caesar would have established himself as a household name in the style he’s familiar with, such as Frank Ocean, before trying new things in what I thought was supposed to be the comeback album of the century.
A majority of the tracklist sounded like studio practice recordings with titles and were unfortunately not convincing enough to show off his beautiful range and lyrical genius.
He is a phenomenal artist but “NEVER ENOUGH” was a scrambled mess that will repeat itself into future works if he keeps experimenting aimlessly.
