Daniel Caesar just released his newest album, Son of Spergy, a beautiful album that reflects themes of religion, connections, and faith. Unlike some artists who just mention god once in a while, Daniel Caesar is consistent in weaving the theme of religion into his songs so you can practically feel the faith. In songs like “Rain down,” he uses gospel- style harmonies that make the listener feel like they are sitting in a church on a bright, warm Sunday morning. He uses his faith as a way to express his beliefs and express the depth of his Faith.
A large part of his album is reconciliation. For a long period of time, Caesar struggled with his relationship with his father. In his song, “Sins of the Father,” he says, “Father, You said You’d love me Like my own never could.” This shows how Daniel was able to find God to replace or heal his relationship with his father in his own mind. God was someone Caesar could look up to, due to the fact that his dad was never a good person for him to take after, or aspire to be like.
The vibes when listening to the songs in this album are introspective and peaceful. For some of these songs, he creates a feeling where the listener can practically hear his fingers slowly sliding across the strings. These types of songs are perfect for when you want to disconnect from the rest of the world for a bit, and focus on yourself. After spending time listening to all of the songs in the album, I have found the two most enjoyable songs for me, both in terms of the lyrics and the rhythm/ the flow of the music. These top songs are, “Have A Baby(with me”), and “Sign of the Times.”
I was interested to see if anyone, both Daniel Ceaser fans and people who have never even heard of him, would feel the same way as me. I played both of my favorite songs for multiple students, and recorded their feedback. After playing “Sign of the Times” for student Juno Spencer, she expressed interesting opinions about this song. She said, “It doesn’t sound bad to me. It’s a good, like, you know, sad song but I’m not a big fan of R&B.” She said that she was not a big fan of this specific genre, but she thought this song was relatively good, and a good song to listen to when upset. I asked her if she noticed any specific themes throughout the song. She said, “I think a common theme was mortality and also he’s talking a lot about his search for purpose in life and guilt and also growing.”
I asked student Taylor Cho the same questions. She said, “I thought it was a beautiful song. It was very expressive and it was just very beautiful.” Cho had differing opinions from Spencer. She loved the song, but just found trouble relating to it. She said, “It’s a very catchy song and I think the lyrics are very meaningful but I don’t think it really pulls me in because I don’t relate too much.” I also asked her about more common themes she saw. She said, “I saw a lot of themes of love, and faith and mortality and I think over the song it’s kind of a self-reflection and trying to be able to try to find a meaning in life when there are some uncertainties.”
Reviews from people who have never heard of him before, like Cho and Spencer can impact people who are looking for a new artist. Some may very much enjoy this album, like Cho, and for some, it may just not be their choice of music, like Spencer.
