In the ever-changing R&B Soul genre, Canadian singer and songwriter Daniel Caesar has cemented himself as an important artist in the genre. Starting his music career in 2013, Caesar has released three albums including “Freundin”, “Case Study 01” and “NEVER ENOUGH.” Released on April 7, 2023, “NEVER ENOUGH” is Caesar’s latest album detailing his struggle to live up to his own high standards.

Considered the best song in Caesar’s album “NEVER ENOUGH”, “Always” is based on the perspective of Caesar who has just gotten out of a past relationship which he can’t seem to move on from. Caesar relates this in the song by saying, “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.” Inspired by a Kanye West quote “Once you’re my girlfriend, you’re my girlfriend for life,” Caesar crafted his own “It’s never over till it’s over.” This can be reflected in the lyrics of “Always” where it is mentioned, “And just maybe, enough time will pass, we’ll look back and laugh, just don’t forget it.”

“Always” is a perfect example of Caesar’s style. It is relatable, has a beat to match the tone of the song, and uses as few words as possible to communicate a feeling his listeners have felt before. When doing an interview, Caesar provided context about his line in “Always:” “Pretty lady, used to walk with me, down Bloor street.” He states in the song that he dated a girl, and they would go from his apartment, down “Bloor Street” and do things together. In “Always,” it is clear that it was a great time in his life.

Titled after the 17th-century Dutch painter, “Vince Van Gogh” by Caesar is one of the “unique” songs in “NEVER ENOUGH” that diverges from Caesar’s usual style. It shows him comparing himself to Vincent Van Gogh. Toward the end of his life, Van Gogh wrote letters detailing how his mental state was quickly deteriorating. Caesar can relate because he follows the same principle of a melancholic theme and the lyrics match it in much of his music. Van Gogh felt like he would never live up to his own set standards, causing stress and exhaustion. Although Van Gogh never got to see his work get the recognition it deserved, his feelings of self-doubt are still felt by people today such as Caesar.

While the meaning and principle behind “Vince Van Gogh” are sound, the delivery was flawed. The first verse starts nice and slow like his other songs. At the bridge of the song is where the music gets profoundly much louder, and overlaps with the beat, an overwhelming listening experience. Because of those reasons, “Vince Van Gogh” is a song best to avoid in “NEVER ENOUGH.”

“NEVER ENOUGH” is still the masterpiece of an album despite the failure of “Vince Van Gogh,” the album did not disappoint, and is definitely worth a listen.