Son of Spergy
is a self-referencing title.
Norwill "Spergy" Simmonds
is
Daniel Caesar
's father, a Seventh-day Adventist minister and gospel singer with whom
Caesar
has had a tumultuous relationship.
's secular musical aspirations factored in his displacement from the family house when he was 17. The processing of his strict Christian upbringing, as well as the influence of the sacred music that shaped him, can be heard across his catalog. His second EP is titled
Praise Break
-- as in a break from praise -- and here, on his fourth album, faith, repentance, salvation, and spiritual liberation are brought to the fore. The themes often aren't so much mixed into the writing as they are applied during
's continued reckoning with adulthood. Take "Baby Blue," a softly flickering lullaby where
is awed by a divine being who brings him light. A couple keywords notwithstanding,
seems to be professing his love to a newborn child or lover. Just as the song dissipates, his father delivers a contrasting coda of praise with his delicate tenor vocals. "What if you believed in God, this world, in hell, and all the things that this could be?,"
asks in "Have a Baby (With Me)," where the title is repeatedly urged, devoid of romance, like he's trying to convince himself that a child is the solution for his partner's discontentment. Shaped by longtime collaborators
Matthew Burnett
and
Jordan Evans
, along with the likes of
Mustafa
,
Aver Ray
Rami Dawod
Dev Hynes
, and
Never Enough
contributor
Dylan Wiggins
, these songs are all spare and finely textured with the exception of "Call on Me," a sauntering, slightly ragged rocker offering assurance. There's a surplus of ambling ballads, especially during a stretch in the latter half that features the soft voices of
Justin Vernon
Yebba
Hynes
. Near the end, there's a slight uptick in intensity. "No More Loving (On Women I Don't Love)" is an embittered duet between
and equally dulcet sibling
646yf4t
. It leads to "Sins of the Father," a pointedly titled finale that moves from gorgeous neo-Philly soul to a few seconds of silence that precede a raw piano-and-voice bonus verse capped by "I'll forget your birthday like every year/Who gives a f*ck anyways?" It's a startling way to finish an album containing signs of father-son reconciliation. Instead of tying it with a bow,
flings it to the ground. ~ Andy Kellman