With no single offerings – simply a tracklist teaser and a countdown – Dijon has released his sophomore album Baby via R&R/Warner Records. The record comes four years after his debut, and it was worth the wait. After a masterpiece like Absolutely, Dijon could have simply released a body of music that created the same sonic experience, transporting fans back into the silky smooth world he molded. However, it is obvious he has other plans.
Baby is not an entirely different sound, but it’s damn close. Dijon meticulously molds his soft voice with cutting-edge new music production, building and stripping back when necessary. The album keeps listeners on their toes; each song is like a puzzle, with jagged edges that click perfectly into place with each other, then fold into themselves by the end. “Exhaustion” doesn’t quite capture the feeling listeners have by the end of the 37-minute album.
Instead, it feels more like the same euphoric high you feel coming down from a drug.
"Examining new fatherhood and how rapidly his life has changed since 'Absolutely', ['Baby'] is a collection of songs that represent the mania of domesticity. From song-to-song, Dijon captures the moments of ecstasy and tragedy that inevitably follow life-altering changes.
“Baby,” the opening and title track, throws fans immediately into this new experience. The following tracks seem to follow a similar recipe, depending on where Dijon chooses to turn next. Unlike Absolutely, this album isn’t necessarily an easy listen. It explores new movements of sound, discordant production elements, and larger-than-life vocal mixings that seem to stretch across the music. This album is an experience, with Dijon swinging heavily back into the musical consciousness.
It is refreshing to see an artist take a four year hiatus and return exploring an entirely new musical persona. Baby doesn’t feel like anything out right now. Dijon’s voice remains as velvety as ever, but he has found a new way to elevate it, rather than simply exist with it.
One thing this album does well is the element of surprise. There are no beat drops, per se, however there are many musical moments that listeners don’t see coming. Notably, in “HIGHER!”, we start the track with an aggressive, almost rock & roll type introduction, before the song finds a more groovy tone. The piano backing is heard meticulously, almost as if it is jumping with the rest of the music. However, towards the song, as Dijon layers his voice and builds it up, and the song begins to collapse on itself.
As it collapses, it falls into “(Freak It),” a slower, more beat heavy song. It does not flow, the album rarely does, but it feels on purpose. No song drags the vibe down, with small moments of ‘relaxation’, one could call it, but no real moment for the listener to stop listening. If you blink, you will miss crucial details.
This album encloses the listener, demanding to be heard, but even moreso demanding to be felt. It is aggressive and jagged and an incredible comeback for Dijon. Following his new life and all the changes he’s gone through since his debut, he takes listeners into his whirlwind of world experiences and emotions that come with it. Instead of releasing, essentially, an Absolutely part two, he comes back with an entirely new sound, refusing to be defined and refusing to be stagnant.
