Adrian Daniel’s Crimson EP Adds Color to the R&B Scene

Crimson Album Cover / photo by Keaton Matusich/ courtesy of the artist

Brooklyn native, singer-songwriter and producer Adrian Daniel ,  fresh off of his SXSW performance , has just released his newest EP, Crimson.

A Reflective Adrian Daniel /photo by Keaton Matusich / courtesy of the artist

In his official bio, Daniel is described as “an R&B/pop sound nestled between emotive lush vocals and an airy falsetto that commands one’s attention,” and that description shines throughout each of the six tracks on his newest release.  A 21-second spoken word piece opens up the track list where Daniel speaks to a greater question of why in the song “How Deep Does It Go.” The greater question in that track seems up to interpretation, as a close listen to the lyrics reveals that Daniel speaks about “why do we love each other” and things of that nature; these are valuable questions that are guaranteed get the musical gears turning in anyone who listens.

The following track, “Nobody”, mixes the R&B and pop genres perfectly, with tones similar to the likes of The Weeknd and Khalid. An electronic R&B beat that backs the track makes it  easy to dance to and creates a perfect world for the club scene.  “You Slay Me” , which was released as a single,  provides yet another techno-infused R&B track that serves as the background, highlighting Daniel’s effortless falsettos and riffs perfectly. The cover art for that single gives off the perfect mystery and intrigues listeners to hit play, after seeing the image of what appears to be Daniel holding a lighter,  emitting a single flame.  

Leaning In/ photo by Brandon Todd/ courtesy of the artist

Nearing the end of the EP is the track “Till the End of Time”,  that carries a heavy drumbeat that serves as the dominant sound on the track for the first half of the song. What feels like a new age ballad, Daniel highlights a relationship with ups and downs, only to conclude that love for one person can indeed last until the end of time. 

Closing out the album is the sixth track, “Prisoners.” In what feels like a truer description of a ballad and love song, Daniel expresses a classic message of two people being better off as friends than partners,  through his lyrics. This track ends the EP on a bit of a downhearted note, but contrasts vastly from the previous tracks by Daniel heard until this point. With this track, Daniel is able to stretch his sound to great lengths. 

Crimson will be available wherever you buy or stream music this month, and followed by the release will be a show at “Baby’s Alright” in June.