Daniel Caesar

CASE STUDY 01

Daniel Caesar became a familiar name two years ago with debut Freudian, which received various Grammy nominations and was met with high praise from critics. Despite being relatively quiet since, Caesar released his sophomore followup album virtually unannounced. CASE STUDY 01 differs from its predecessor by its experimental nature. Caesar takes more risks than before, willing to push the boundaries of his voice and production in order to diversify his sounds. While Freudian was heavily rooted in gospel and spirituality, CASE STUDY 01 is more extraterrestrial, seemingly taking influence from a space deity. The ethereal sound is fitting, as it coincides with the album’s teaser trailer of a vagabond spaceman in the desert, as well as the album art featuring Caesar, whose blurry silhouette looks eerily like one you’d come across in the darker corners of Area 51.

The album features a “fantasy lineup” for Caesar, including Brandy, Pharrell Williams, John Mayer and more. Working with some of his biggest influences surely motivated Caesar to put his best work forward, heard in his back-and-forth on “Love Again” with Brandy, as well as the goofier side that Pharrell draws from him on “Frontal Lobe Muzik.” However, the best feature, and perhaps best song, goes to the John Mayer guitar-assisted track “Superposition.” CASE STUDY 01 is a solid effort by an artist who is, more or less, still a rookie, attempting to diversify his sound in order to avoid cementing himself into gospel music. (Golden Child Recordings) ELECTRONIC