Canadian singer-songwriter Daniel Caesar is back with his fourth studio album, Son of Spergy. This album tries to frame his vision of family, much of which has been defined through his relationship with his father Norwill ‘Spergy’ Simmonds, a devout Adventist and gospel singer. After a series of disputes with his father at 17, Caesar was kicked out of the house, leaving him homeless for a time period.
Evidently, things have changed; inspired by a reconciliation between himself and his parents, he’s dedicated this album to his father. The title works as something half-clever to pick apart: in flesh he’s the son of Spergy, and in spirit he’s the son of God. Whatever that means.
Before I start tearing in, I want to emphasise that the album is gorgeous. Handled by Mustafa, the production has its boring moments, but at times it sounds absolutely transcendent. On certain tracks, there’s a beautiful contrast between these rougher-sounding voice memos and elegant, flowery arrangements.
Disappointingly though, much of the music feels directionless. Caesar tries to channel his usual desperation, but his heart outpaces his mind on a lot of his writing. On ‘Have A Baby (With Me)’, lyrics such as “It’s too late for our dreams/We can make a new dream/Have a baby with me” just sound so unappealing they could frankly be a contraceptive.
It’s frustrating how he writes almost entirely in abstractions and flourishes. If you removed the ornamentation, a lot of these songs could be reduced to a single very easy-to-read sentence. Any real hurt here about his failings or his father’s failings are washed away behind vague songwriting that never conveys the album’s themes, much less supports the weight of them.
For instance, ‘Emily’s Song’ is frustrating for how Daniel talks more about himself than the person he claims to love. In ‘Root Of All Evil’ his guilt over cheating is reduced to phony self-chastisements like “Am I a man or a beast? / Somebody please discipline me / For I’m a sinner.”
The constant self-flagellation across his discography is getting stale and over-indulgent. It’s not that an artist can’t be self-centred; it’s that his exploration of it lacks any new angles. You’d hope that this endless moaning would eventually provoke some kind of insight or change. But it never does. He seems perfectly content to present his same unresolved self every two years. This creative stagnation is what’s plaguing his music.
This summer has been crowded with R&B releases, and you have to wonder how Daniel is going to be able to stay relevant. He’s not engaging with new sounds, he’s not widening his scope, and musically he’s being outflanked by people like Giveon and Erika de Casier. I’m left with the feeling that he’s got nothing to say about himself, his family, or his saviour that isn’t on a greeting card. Whatever story he aims to tell about faith, it’s not in the music.
“Daniel Caesar” by thecomeupshow is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.