Review: ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ is a strong comeback for Daniel Caesar

It’s been nearly four years since Daniel Caesar’s last project “CASE STUDY 01” dropped. The Canadian singer rose to fame during the 2010s and began his charge to becoming one of R&B’s best. Caesar found himself caught up in some controversy surrounding comments he made in 2019 when he drunkenly went live on Instagram and asked why Black women in the media were criticizing YesJulz and went on a tangent about Black people being mean to white people. 

This led to the 28-year-old disappearing from the music scene for nearly three years, only appearing in features until he released a track of his own, “Please Do Not Lean”, last year. Caesar also signed with Republic Records around the same time last year, which marked his return to music. He’s since apologized for his rant and acknowledged his mistake, saying he was wrong. In regards to his disappearance and overall lifestyle, Caesar just wants to keep his name out of the public and live peacefully.

“I try to keep my privacy and not to speak too much to the public [out of] fear of being misunderstood,” Caesar said in an interview with Billboard. “My best mode of communication is music.”

The Toronto native released four singles in preparation for his new album’s release. Titled “NEVER ENOUGH,” it’s clear that he’s returned with his usual affectionate material regarding relationships and the struggles that accompany them. And it feels like he never left. 

He continues with the theme of relationship issues and longing for love with the person he believes is the one. Caesar is also an artist that doesn’t shy away from experimenting with the R&B genre, making it his own and having a sound worthy of a patent. His crooning throughout tracks is top-notch and the production quality takes his songs to the next level, which makes the Canadian distinct and unlike any other R&B artist. 

Caesar’s production is experimental, separating him from his contemporaries. It’s something that’s always been attached to his name. With key artistic choices, such as altering the pitch of his voice in production, adding reverb to his singing or layering of vocals that accompanies the instrumentals, all add to the Daniel Caesar experience. 

Whether it’s a groovy, upbeat track behind his silky vocals as in“Valentina,” or a slower ballad with Caesar crooning backed by his own vocals on “Let Me Go,” he creates an ambience with  the project that the R&B world is missing.  

In the track “Always,” Caesar finds his pocket and sings about a relationship that’s on pause, reminiscing the good times and wanting to get back together, feeling as though he and his partner are meant to be.

“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 / And I don’t care / If you’re with somebody else / I’ll give you time and space / Just know I’m not a phase,” Caesar sings.

With limited features, Caesar recruits talented singers Mustafa, serpentwithfeet, Omar Apollo and Ty Dolla $ign for his album, all capable of producing a sound similar to his or not feeling out of place in their tracks. Both Apollo and fellow Canadian Mustafa spent a lot of time with Caesar over the past year, traveling the world. Their chemistry with one another becomes apparent in their respective tracks, being “Buyer’s Remorse” and “Toronto 2014.”

Mustafa’s feature on “Toronto 2014” is a prime example of Caesar using a feature well. In the 4-minute-37-second track, Mustafa gets the first verse and his vocals are so powerful and full that it elevates the track to another level than if it were only Caesar. 

While Caesar may come off as toxic with some lyrics on the album, it’s consistent throughout, allowing a theme to be created, making the project a complete thought. Ultimately, it’s the Canadian going through the trials and tribulations of a relationship that he desperately wants to make work.

The project goes through Caesar’s cycle of affection, from looking back to “the good times” to wanting to leave the relationship. He proceeds to sing about longing for the person they feel is best for them and believing he’s better than their current partner. He then ends the project with the feeling of being “Unstoppable” and being more than enough, as he seemingly gets over the pain as the last few lyrics of the outro are “I know you think you’ve got me / But you lost me,” repeated multiple times. 

The project is a rollercoaster of love and emotions that allow the listener to enter the mind of Caesar and see how he operates. While there aren’t too many new things added from his old material, the return of one of R&B’s best singers is definitely welcomed by those who indulge in that type of music. 

While there may have been more artists who’ve joined for the crown of best R&B singer in the past four years, Caesar’s hiatus hasn’t done him any harm and he’s back to creating some of his best work.