“NEVER ENOUGH”, R&B artist Daniel Caesar’s third studio album released April 7th, 2023. Yet, two years later, the 15 original tracks and the additional bonus track are still some of the most frequently played songs in my playlist. While awaiting the next project from the  Grammy-awarded artist, I’ve decided to provide a personal review and ranking of my top 10 tracks.

The album is filled with tracks emotionally charged with the recurring anxiety of Daniel’s: never being enough. But as the album progresses from the 1st to the 16th song, his ruminations on the subject allow him to find resolution in the art piece that is “NEVER ENOUGH”.

My ratings are categorized into three attributes: lyricism, musicality, and stimulus. Lyricism is my personal rating of word choice and poeticness, musicality is a rating of instrumental and vocal content, and stimulus is just how strongly the song makes me feel personally. Each on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), their rounded average rating makes up their final score. All scores are only relative to songs in the album. 

Here is my ranking:

10. Superpowers

The penultimate song in Daniel’s original-release album, “Superpowers” is one of the most popular tracks on the entire album. Artistically, the lyrics are simple but catchy, and the backing track utilizes a standard chord progression. But with the ethereal effects and radiating warmth of the song, it makes sense why this song is so high in his discography. 

Total: 7.9

9. Vince Van Gogh

One of the most experimental songs in the album, “Vince Van Gogh” has this unfounded, hyper-nostalgic feeling lying within the unusual synthesizer and percussion instrumental. With vocals interrupted by down-pitched dictations and unorthodox melodies, the song becomes more of an experience than just casual listening. 

Total: 8

8. Please Do Not Lean (PDNL)

“PDNL” was a song added in the bonus version of the album. Like the title suggests, the song conveys the message that Daniel doesn’t find himself stable and reliable for his lover. He sings, “Please do not lean on me. I’m unstable”. He pushes her to be self-sufficient as he believes he couldn’t provide them any help. My favorite part of the song is the outro where he sings, “If I am the sky, you are the sea staring back at me”. In this outro, he is comparing his reflection in the sea to the relationship turmoil that originally stems from him. As an amazing bonus track, the concepts of inadequacy and letting go of someone only contributes further to the theme of the album.

Total: 8.10

7. Valentina 

“Valentina” is a love song that especially utilizes the more bass-y R&B that many other artists in the genre use. Being another pre-release single, it’s sensible to infer that it was used to draw more attention to the album since it had more general appeal. 

Total: 8.20

6. Always

One of the most common themes in Daniel’s discography is the idea of everlasting love. Apart from a few songs, the idea that he will hold a fondness for someone even after their falling-out is a concept that Caesar expresses in many renditions. In the song “Always”, this is brought to a huge emphasis as he sings to a girl that he will always be there for her. Although it can easily come off as obsessive, the lyrics and music provide a warm and affectionate mood for listeners. 

Total: 8.25

5. Ocho Rios

The introductory anthem of “NEVER ENOUGH”, “Ocho Rios” speaks volumes on the dependency and helplessness that Daniel had felt in the chronological progression of the album. He sings about a girl that he declares his “saving grace”. As the first song in the album, it excites and preludes with the musical and lyrical themes that truly encapsulate what “NEVER ENOUGH” is all about. 

Total: 8.30

4. Unstoppable

“Unstoppable” is the final song in the original-release album by Caesar. Giving homage to his ethnic heritage, Daniel had freestyled this song during a trip in Jamaica. As the final song in an album, it acts as a rebellious resolution to the dilemma he had of being inadequate. With hints of romance, gratitude, and contentment in his lyricism, Daniel Caesar concludes the original album with an expression of relief and satisfaction.

Total: 8.40

3. Let Me Go

“Let Me Go” is the fourth song on the track list and one of the pre release singles of “NEVER ENOUGH”. In the lyrics, Daniel sings about his desire to leave his current relationship, and he asks his lover to allow him to do so for both their benefit. In the second line of the song, he sings, “I’m tryna leave, please just forget me”. The vocals are extremely emotional and bare as it includes several falsettos, echoing adlibs, and other musical aspects. Out of the entire album, “Let Me Go” shows an amazing dichotomy between its somber and eccentric emotions that moves listeners greatly.

Total: 8.70

2. Pain is Inevitable 

The 11th track in the album, “Pain is Inevitable” alludes to the grievances and afflictions that Daniel has faced in his life and music career. He does this by casting parallels and contrasts between his life today and his childhood. In the outro of the song, Daniel utilizes his religious belief and sings about the corruption that has come to him with age. All in all, the song entails the loss of innocence in age and the consequences that come as a result. But despite this, the hook gives a poetic and valuable message to listeners as Daniel renders, “Pain is Inevitable. Misery’s a choice”. 

Total: 8.80

1. Toronto 2014

“Toronto 2014” is the third track in the 2023 album. Featuring Mustafa, a fellow Toronto-originated artist and friend to Caesar, the track reminisces the time that they spent in their home city. Over a folk-style guitar loop, Mustafa sings, “If only I could find a way through space-time… Back to when I was happy being me”. He’s referring to not only traveling back to Toronto, but also to the precise moment he lived there. Daniel wraps up the song singing, “It’s still my city”. To the two artists, the song is an ode, but not to a place nor a time. Rather, Mustafa and Caesar are singing odes to a time of their lives that they still declare home. 

Total: 9.2

As written before, these scores are relative to one another and not to songs outside of the album. All sixteen tracks on “NEVER ENOUGH” are amazing pieces of music, and the six others outside of my top ten are also great works. 

To conclude my review, “NEVER ENOUGH” is filled with highs and lows as Daniel Caesar grapples with his self-concept and desire for adequacy. But throughout the tracks, Caesar ruminates on childhood, relationships, and his life as he finds resolution to his dilemmas. “NEVER ENOUGH” is an amazing musical project, but it also served as a medium in which Daniel could overcome a self imposed adversity and proclaim that we are all “Unstoppable” in our own right. Easily, “NEVER ENOUGH” takes its place as one of my favorite music albums of all time.