Richard Daniel is an artist from Birmingham who has been working over the past five years or so, both as a solo artist and as part of the RDFND collective. His last solo album came in 2016, when he released Sedan. He now comes back with most ambitious and polished album to date, The Lemon Tree Project.

For the project, Richard Daniel enlisted the help of some of Birmingham’s finest producers, including Erthling, C’Mar the Producer, Maestr0, Bliss, and Suaze. Together, they help Daniel find the sound he’s been perfecting over the years, which this very accessible style of Southern alternative R&B/hip hop. Daniel has a remarkable singing voice as well as being a dope emcee, and he’s got a great knack for knowing how to switch between the two without just doing something as simple as strictly singing the hook and rapping the verses. Really, though, what makes this project special is Daniel’s lyricism, which are smart and passionate and hit you in all the right ways over the course of the album. The opening track, “Lemon Tree,” provides the thesis statement for the album, with this psychedelic soul that falls somewhere between Bilal and D’Angelo, and discusses finding strength despite all the negativity that life can throw at you, and finding joy and meaning within the art. “Black Vulcan” is delightfully weird in all the right ways while still remaining accessible, demanding to be turned up, while using some really Birmingham-specific lyricism to claim all the space for himself and demand respect. “For My Youth” is an incredibly warm and vulnerable song about pushing forward and trying to fulfill those childhood dreams. As you continue through the album, you just get this great combination of inventive musicianship, thoughtful and soulful lyricism, and charisma and honesty on the mic. It’s the mature and fully realized album that those in Birmingham always knew Richard Daniel had in him.

Richard Daniel is a talented artist, and The Lemon Tree Project feels like the culmination of a lot of work over the past few years. It’s an album that feels familiar right away, offers a lot of depth and honesty, and still manages to be a really fun listen. That’s no easy feat.