By Spencer Wang ’19, Staff Writer

With a seemingly never-ending radio cycle of mainstream artists and increasingly similar sounds and melodies, the music industry could be seen as an increasingly dull art medium.  It seems reasonable, with only a finite number of rhythms, notes, that eventually music will all begin sounding the same. Yet, once you peel back and look beyond the lens of mainstream, pop, hip-hop, and country genres, the variety and originality of seemingly-unknown artists is visible. One such artist is the Canadian born singer/songwriter Daniel Caesar, who in the past three years, rose from relatively unknown into a critically acclaimed artist.

Caesar, who was born on April 5, 1955 in Ontario, Canada, began his musical career on various music streaming websites like Soundcloud and Spotify. These websites have become useful outlets for ambitious artists without any record labels or big name agents. In 2013 Caesar released his first EP, Birds of Paradise, which was followed by his 2014 EP, titled Violet. In these first two works Caesar establishes the fluidity of his style and the basis of his work. His new album, Freudian, establishes a maturity contrary to both the variability of his previous works and the definition of himself as an artist.

Generally Caesar’s work encompasses the large genres of soul and R&B, yet his style seems to flutter beyond the norms of those two genres. Though his voice has the range and soulful flavor of many current and past R&B, he lacks the vocal power akin to artists like Curtis Mayfield and Donny Hathaway, or the effortless falsettos of Marvin Gaye and R. Kelly. However, Daniel Caesar’s voice is nothing short of beautiful and emotional; the effort and emotion in his voice is heartbreaking and powerful. His specific style of voice limits him into a slower, more relaxed area of R&B and Soul. Often his songs carry a more acoustic pop vibe than the rhythmic jams and flavor of the 1970s.

This is not a detriment, but an area where he deviates from tradition. In a well established genre, Caesar’s fresh take is not so much experimentation, but a new definition for the genre of soul and R&B. From his new album Freudian, “Get You” is a prime example of Caesar’s voice and the headiness and smooth nature that he expresses so well. If you listen to the entirety of his new album, Caesar’s voice provides an emotional softness that envelops the listener, in conjunction with his instrumental production. The themes in his songs follow a relatively standard structure about young love, yet his lyrics carry a melancholy tone. In his song “Loose”, Caesar says, “My mind feel strange momma but I feel the same/I feel ashamed when I’m face to face with my faith/Face to face with my faith momma, lost my faith.”

Like other artists in the same genre including BJ the Chicago Kid, Caesar’s production utilizes real instruments, usually some combination of acoustic or electric guitar, electric bass and piano. On the other hand, Caesar is not afraid to dabble in electronic production. Caesar, like popular artist Frank Ocean, is a heavy user of synths, electronic drum kits and computerized basses, usually as a complement to the actual instruments. In its entirety the production is very minimalistic and stripped down, acting as merely the backdrop to what I believe is Caesar’s favorite element of production: vocal harmony.

One thing that sets Caesar apart from many other rising R&B artists is his use of gospel music as a major influence. Through many of his albums, and in Freudian especially, he loves using a beautiful call and response repetition (native to traditional gospel music) with background vocals. He layers different vocal patterns, melodies and rhythms gradually layer atop of one another until they fill the space, creating this wave of vocals that enhance the solo. Gospel music is definitely making a comeback into popular music. With the huge success of Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book, a heavily gospel-inspired rap album, gospel music has emerged from its roots in Sunday masses into the forefront of music production. Daniel Caesar may not be the pioneer of this influence, but has helped celebrate gospel and propel its popularity.

I’d keep an eye on Daniel Caesar in the coming years. Over the past months he’s appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert and collaborated with hit artists, so I’d say it’s about time that he garners mainstream success. In an era of usually stale mainstream music, it’s amazing to see lesser known artists show their own creative originality and develop their musical style.