Humanity is a story of constant conflict and resolution. For singer-songwriter Ashton Dumar Norwill Simmonds, known professionally as Daniel Caesar, the most important of those resolutions was with his father, Norwill Simmonds, the subject of his fourth studio album.
“Son Of Spergy” was released on Oct. 24 and is Caesar’s story of reconciliation with his father and self-discovery, a 51-minute dialogue with both loved ones and himself.
Spergy is Simmonds’ nickname. Simmonds was a gospel singer from Jamaica who raised four children in Toronto, Canada and endowed his musicality to his second-oldest child, Daniel. The two were in conflict when Daniel was 17, leading to his removal from the family home the weekend of his high school graduation. This event indirectly led to Caesar’s rise to stardom in 2017 with his Grammy Award-nominated album “Freudian.”
Spanning sonically from gospel to R&B, to rock and to earthy-sounding instrumentation, combining them to make a uniquely colorful soundscape capable only by those who have loved, suffered and recovered. Caesar takes you on a journey that can only be understood through his lens.
Simmonds is credited as a feature on track four, “Baby Blue,” which tackles the themes of family —family not given to you by choice but by chance. In an industry keen on writing about romantic and marital love, “Son Of Spergy” is a gratifying palate cleanser that teaches the difference between blood and chosen family.
Despite being written in a thematic style, the record offers musical diversity, exploring the same themes in different rhythms, melodies and instrumentation. The sonic environment spans from low-produced, pop-sounding tracks like “Root of all Evil,” – which questions Caesar’s manhood, goodness and ultimate recognition of him having gone astray – to heavily distorted, grungy style tunes like “Call On Me,” – a track that speaks on selfless devotion and love – to acoustic, stripped down gospel songs like “Touching God,” which features Yebba and Blood Orange. These tracks deliver a straightforward message of grief, loss and faith.
When concluding the album, one will find themselves having laughed, thought, and cried all of which, famous coach Jimmy Valvano says, make a complete day. It is a highly pleasurable listen and an album that will age well with listeners.
Caesar tapped into his vulnerability and delivered a musically and lyrically stellar album that feels more like an audiobook than an album. The words on the page are not nearly as impactful as the actions in his life. I am grateful that he shared his story with the world.
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