Daniel Caesar is not so slowly but definitely surely making his way back on the scene. A couple weeks back, he thrilled R&B lovers with his single “Do You Really Like Me?” and released the song’s dramatic video soon after. The singer is not waiting for the dust to settle from those releases, though, as he’s already on to the next with the breakup cut “Let Me Go.”
“Let Me Go” eschews the romance of “Do You Like Me?” in favor of cold and blunt honesty as he tries to sever ties from a relationship that’s long been toxic. “I’m tryna breathe, why won’t you let me? / I’m tryna leave, please just forget me,” he begs on the song’s opening verse. “And honestly, our sun is setting / Can hardly believe, this got so messy,” he continues. Though the verse is very direct in approach, the chorus is simple, with him singing, “Baby, won’t you let me go,” in his signature falsetto.
Helping him get this message across is an almost mournful musical arrangement. It begins with an elegiac organ that is eventually joined by drums and then guitar before being fully fleshed out by the backing vocal. The arrangement reaches its key payoff on the chorus, where all the elements come together for a truly transformative moment that evokes the soul music of the past.
With “Do You Like Me?” and now “Let Me Go,” it seems like Daniel Caesar might be coming with some heat whenever he announces the inevitable project these singles are leading up to. We’re willing to wait until he’s ready to tell us more, especially when what he’s released thus far sounds so good.
Listen to a stream of “Let Me Go” right here and then hop below to watch the song’s lyric video.
