Review: Dijon Unleashes Glitchy R&B Greatness in Baby
Rising R&B wizard Dijon’s sophomore album is a glitchy collection of tunes that fall into both classic slow jam territory and his own unapologetic glossy and erratic sonic choices.
Thirty-three-year-old Baltimore native Dijon Duenas recently worked on producing the latest Justin Bieber album Swag, which showcased his knack for making catchy R&B jams that dominated the airwaves.
Dijon was also a major collaborator with legendary indie folk musician/producer extraordinaire Justin “Bon Iver” Vernon’s latest record SABLE,fABLE, one of the artist’s most gorgeous records to date. He was a prominent voice and producer on the track “Day One,” a pristine R&B/ pop track on the aforementioned LP, where he played second fiddle to Vernon and worked in consonance with alternative singer Flock of Dimes.
“Yes, you have just always had your band, but you get sad enough because it’s all you seek (Oh, hop on, it’ll all be gone),” Dijon’s part goes on the Bon Iver banger.
Dijon has also been a frequent collaborator with indie artist and guitar wizard Michael Tood “Mk.gee” Gordon, who had also worked on the Bieber and Bon Iver records.
Gordon has co-writing and co-producing credits on Dijon’s latest LP on the songs “Another Baby!,” “Higher!, “Loyal & Marie,” and “Kindalove,” which have the discernible tinge of the brittle and reverby Mk.gee sound signature.
Baby starts out with the title track with an exclamation mark, which the singer/producer sings in an endearing timbre over lo-fi rhythm guitars and his signature layered vocals.
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A lot of what the artist is doing reminds us of old Prince records and we’re all aboard this nostalgia train.
The album then seamlessly transitions into “Another Baby,” a pop tune with a heavy 80s-inspired melody with distinct muted snare drums and eclectic keyboard lines.
“Higher” is a groovy track and one of the more memorable cuts on the record backed by staccato piano chord stabs and drum beats reminiscent of the soulful tracks from Dijon’s debut album Absolutely.
Four years ago, Dijon captured hearts with his captivating talent and innate knack for R&B concept building and delivering on silky smooth ballads. “The Dress” from that first record is all you need to go on for a simultaneously truly raw, bittersweet storytelling on a neo-soul R&B track that has incredible replayability.
“We should go out and dance like we used to dance We should go out and hold hands – lovers hold hands,” are just some of the sepia-toned lyrics/ images from this earnest love song.
Going back to Baby, “Higher” moseys along to the explosive track “Freak It,” coated in staccato drums and delay-ridden instrumentation prepping the listener for the catchiest song on the album.
“Yamaha” is like this album’s “The Dress,” a very catchy and grand love song with that Prince-esque 80s sheen and one our favorites from the whole LP. The track’s title is intriguing, named as such probably because of the keyboard-centric sonic signature from which the Japanese instrument brand has cemented its legacy on.
There’s just an unbelievable burst of euphoria in this soulful cut thanks to the sweet harmonies and nostalgic glossy keys that makes for earworm material.
“Baby I’m in love with this particular emotion, and it’s sweet you in this particular motion,” Dijon belts out. The artist just writes hooks that just resonates and draws you into a particular milieu.
We transition into shorter but no less explosive cuts such as “Fire” where Dijon’s vocals sweet singing is surrounded by intentional feedback noise on top of Lo-Fi 8 bit-feeling drum beats.
“Even when I’m not myself, she tells me that I’m fine,” Dijon goes on. “She loves, she loves, she loves me now I’m on fire.”
“(Referee)” serves as a distorted interlude of Dijon howling at a level of almost biblical proposition where a girl controls the relationship and is a so-called referee.
“She had the time, she gets to call it, She's referee, It’s flags and long whistles,” the Baltimore artist sings. “AMEN! SAY WHEN! SERMON! SEMEN !”
The R&B star then turns down the experimental production for a more slow-paced and underrated guitar ballad “Rewind.”
The track explores a dissipating love and an internal struggle between nostalgia and collapse, and the inevitable desire to turn back time, a rejection of the painful present.
“Is it all just passing time? Is it brave, begging “Rewind!” Is it all just patterns packed inside?” Dijon laments in the song.
The production shifts to a more scratchy and abrasive soundscape for a cathartic end to the emotionally-charged cut.
Dijon’s “my man” is another understated and slow song that is driven by a reverby organ-sounding synth pad. The singer taps into a raspier vocal register as he keeps building on the intensity of a potential father figure leaving way too soon, or possibly from the point of view of a woman in a relationship with an emotionally-stunted man.
The LP maintains its moody atmosphere with “loyal & marie” with Dijon’s modulated and manipulated vocals and subtle vocal deliveries. This track also has a jarring sample of dogs howling and sudden raw acoustic guitar plucking.
We take a turn back to more gorgeous soul-pop production and a nostalgic sheen with “Automatic,” one of the album’s shining points.
The LP’s closer “Kindalove” on first listen sounds a lot like “Day One” from the Bon Iver record put out last April, which also has Dijon's DNA all over it.
This is another endearing cut similar to the “Yamaha” and “The Dress” from Absolutely, but on a more hopeful and present type of love.
It’s no wonder that the Baltimore singer has drawn parallels to the groundbreaking stylings of Frank Ocean, Bon Iver, Prince, and Common. We can't get enough of his glitchy yet soulful combos which sets him apart from his contemporaries.
Dijon continues to build on his catalogue and sonic tapestry fusing experimental neo-soul, R&B and a mismash of influences from the iconic voices of the 80s and even the 2010s.
