''Freudian'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by Canadian singer and songwriter Daniel Caesar. It was released independently on August 25, 2017, by Golden Child Recordings, with distribution from

TuneCore TuneCore is a New York City–based digital music distribution, publishing and licensing service founded in 2006. It was acquired by Believe Music in April 2015. TuneCore distributes music through online retailers such as Deezer, Spotify, Amazon ...

. It includes guest appearances from

Kali Uchis Karly Marina Loaiza (born July 17, 1994), known professionally as Kali Uchis ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Her accolades include a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award, an American Music Awards, American Music Award, two Billboard Music Awar ...

, H.E.R., Syd, Charlotte Day Wilson and Sean Leon. Production derives from Caesar, Matthew Burnett, Jordan Evans,

BadBadNotGood BadBadNotGood (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian instrumental band and Hip hop production, production team from Toronto, Canada. The group was founded in 2010 by bassist Chester Hansen, keyboardist Matthew Tavares, and drummer Alexander Sowinsk ...

, Alex Ernewein, Riley Bell and Jordon Manswell. The album succeeds the 2015 EP '' Pilgrim's Paradise''. The album was nominated for a Grammy in the Best R&B Album Category, alongside a nomination for Best R&B Performance with " Get You" at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, with " Best Part" with H.E.R. winning Best R&B Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. The album was supported by the singles " Get You" featuring Kali Uchis and the double single "We Find Love" / "Blessed".

Singles

The lead single " Get You" featuring

was released on October 20, 2016, for streaming and digital download. The second single, "We Find Love" / "Blessed" was released on June 9, 2017.

Artwork

The album artwork features photography by creative directors Keavan Yazdani and Sean Brown. The photograph is Caesar climbing an incline on the Monument to 1300 Years of Bulgaria, Shumen.

Critical reception

''Freudian'' received widespread acclaim from critics upon release. In a positive review, Briana Younger of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' complimented the

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

elements of the album, stating: "There’s much here that blends well into this 1990s-obsessed era, but Caesar’s gospel background is his not-so-secret weapon. While he’s surely not the only contemporary R&B singer who grew up in the church, he doesn’t shy away from bringing the full range of his influences to his music. Caesar’s willingness to use all of the tools at his disposal—to explore his own id and superego right alongside love’s heaven and hell—elevates his craft." Kevin Ritchie of '' Now'' commented that ''Freudian'' is "not an album of sweeping gestures, but rather an ambling, pleasant account of a 20-something falling in and out of love. It’s full of small moments, nuance and detail." Ryan Patrick of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'' praised the production and originality: "''Freudian'' isn't about whatever's passing for the genre on streaming playlists, radio or video; it isn't even a throwback. It's a carefully created album rooted in classic gospel and R&B, and a revelation in a world of sludgy alt-R&B, an outlier among overtly soulless genre takes hailed as the next thing because no one knows any better." ''Exclaim!'' ranked the album at number 5 on their "Top 10 Soul and R&B Albums of 2017". The album was a shortlisted finalist for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize."Polaris Music Prize Reveals 2018 Short List"
''

'', July 17, 2018.

Commercial performance

''Freudian'' debuted at number 25 on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...

. On September 1, 2017, ''Freudian'' entered the

UK R&B Chart Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, and previously the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and ...

at number 15, while entering the

UK Independent Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the ...

at number 40.

Track listing

Notes * signifies an additional producer. * signifies a co-producer. * "Hold Me Down" features additional vocals by Cadaro Tribe. * "Neu Roses (Transgressor's Song)" and "Loose" feature additional vocals by Nevon Sinclair. * "Freudian" features additional vocals by Sean Leon. * “Freudian” is shortened on the vinyl release, for a length of 5:0

Sample credits * "Hold Me Down" contains an interpolation of "Hold Me Now", written and performed by

Kirk Franklin Kirk Dewayne Franklin (born January 26, 1970) is an American Gospel music, gospel musician. One of the List of best-selling gospel music artists, best-selling gospel music artists, his accolades include 20 Grammy Awards. ''Variety (magazine), Var ...

. * "We Find Love" contains an interpolation of "We Fall Down", written by Kyle David Matthews and performed by Donnie McClurkin.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Freudian'' and Daniel Caesar's

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

. Artists * Daniel Caesar * Charlotte Day Wilson – featured artist (also engineer) * H.E.R. – featured artist *

– featured artist * Syd – featured artist (also engineer) Production * Matthew Burnett – producer, executive producer, A&R, management * Jordan Evans – producer, executive producer, A&R, management, engineer * Alex Ernewein – producer * Jordon Manswell – producer * Riley Bell – producer, engineer Other musicians *

– additional music (credited for additional production) * C.J. Mairs – additional music * Cadaro Tribe – additional vocals * Ian Culley – additional music * Nevon Sinclair – additional vocals * Sean Barrow – additional music * Sean Leon – additional vocals * Steve Henry – additional music * Wesley Allen – additional music Other technical * Calvin Hartwick – engineer * Eric Stenman – engineer * Ethan “SPYDER” Ashby – engineer * Jeremy Nichols – engineer Other management * Angelika Heim – legal * Anthony Osei – publicity * John Ingram – legal Design * Eric Lachance – packaging design * Keavan Yazdani – artwork * Sean Brown – artwork

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2017 debut albums Self-released albums Daniel Caesar albums Albums produced by BadBadNotGood Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year recordings