Cezar

There are some people who refuse to be boxed into any particular category, who rail against any labels, people who refuse to wear the straitjacket of conformity. People for whom the word 'genre' is anathema.
One such person is singer/songwriter Cezar, who headlined his first show at Redbones the Blues Café, Braemar Avenue, New Kingston last Friday night and left behind an audience musically and pleasure-sated.
His style has been described as a blend or reggae, R&B and neo-soul, and there have been other permutations of words attempting to categorise the artiste, which is odd, because it can be done rather simply.
Cezar writes a mean lyric and he can sing. Backed by a pork pie-wearing, guitar-wielding Wayne McGregor, proud new father Andrew 'Preggs' Thompson on drums and Alex Martin-Blanken on the keyboards, with Natalie Spence providing vocal support, Cezar - who also wore a guitar - started off with Hello World. Hidden behind a tree (literally) was Jeffrey Moss-Solomon playing bass.
Wearing a Sprawl T-shirt which boldly stated 'Kingstonians do it better' and a beret at an angle, Cezar then launched into One Way Love, during which Martin-Blanken sent sparkling, crystal-like notes soaring into the cool night air, greatly aided by terrific sound engineering courtesy of On-Que Productions. Each instrument's voice was clear as a bell, and those of the singers clarion-clear, buoyed by the music instead of being swamped.
Wasted Seasons followed and Natalie showed why she was chosen to accompany Cezar as she harmonized. Those who believe practitioners of any genre except dancehall or reggae have no chance of making it big in Jamaica might well wonder why Cezar remains in the land of wood and water, considering the talent he continuously displays. With McGregor 'waah-waahing' on lead guitar and then soloing, Cezar wielded his voice like a master craftsman uses his tools - sometimes subtly, sometimes not, but all the while entertaining.
The ensemble then performed their only cover of the night (the rest being Cezar's originals), James Blunt's Beautiful, reinventing it with a distinct reggae feel, including a rhythm reminiscent of the 'One-Drop'. Natalie was good, but Cezar did not actually need her as he displayed brilliant vocal prowess over the sonic mélange provided by the band.
By this time, Preggs had his shirt wide open, prompting Cezar to remark, "My drummer needs to cool off apparently." He probably did, since the tempo picked up immediately. "These are dancehall songs. but you've probably never heard them like this before," declared the singer before deejaying "Cezar on the microphone" and launching into Sexy Ways/Lay U Down. The singer bounced as he sang at a rapid pace, getting Natalie to momentarily take the lead with Tami Chynn's Hyperventilating, Cezar throwing a few lines of Assassin's Idiat Ting Dat for good measure.
Throughout Lost That Feeling, Take the Fall, Hopelessly Infatuated, Shoulder to the Wheel and Keep On the trend towards musical excellence continued. Cezar would deejay - effectively - at times and every band member soloed at least once, McGregor clearly having fun, hat pulled low over half-shut eyes as he wrung out riffs, prompting Cezar to call him " the man with the burning guitar."



- Jamaica Observer

Imagine beautiful sounds originating from the calm waters of lover's rock melding with island roots, while flowing into a soul-riveting undulation of R&B, at the same time being fused with the vibrancy of dancehall.
This is the cultural energy that is called reggae-soul. It is what happens when reggae meets R&B. Now, imagine the resonances and harmonics of guitar strings sending vibrations throughout its large hollow body while being eclipsed by an entrancing and charismatic voice.
This is the sound of Cezar.
After being born in London, Cezar moved to Jamaica at age one. Here he attended Mona Preparatory and St George's College, then went on to attend University of Miami and obtained his degree in architecture at Howard University in Washington. It was after university, still in Washington when he made the decision to take up music professionally.
"My father (producer and singer Rupert Cunningham) was my first musical influence and he also taught me to sing." With the encouragement of friends he decided to take the next step. He returned to Jamaica, his roots, to pursue a career in music.
Pursuing music in Jamaica is not an easy task and for him is still an ongoing process. After he made this decision, he began meeting producers and surrounded himself with influential people.
This independent artiste has a number of singles out in rotation - Sexy Ways on the Thunderclap rhythm, Lay You Down on the Stepz rhythm (both produced by Renaissance), Hello World on the Hard Times rhythm produced by Steven Gibbs and Noise on the Katana rhythm produced by Tony Kelly. People have likened his sound to such phenomenal artistes as Maxi Priest and Richie Stephens.
- Jamaica Gleaner

His father Rupert Cunningham was a singer/producer and songwriter and also a record label owner. So it came as no surprise that Cezar would have followed in his footsteps.
Cezar's musical journey has not been an easy ride. "It has been a struggle for me. I have a formal education in a field where I can live comfortably and I have given up the certainty of financial comfort for a field of uncertainty. It has really been a difficult journey for me," Cezar revealed in a recent interview.

Cezar, who made his recording debut in 2003, has been getting some attention of late with his single Will You Be which was recorded on the Renaissance label's Legal rhythm. The song is accompanied by an excellently shot, directed and conceptualised music video, that has been getting a lot of airtime.

"The video was shot in New York in November last year and it was directed by Nadia Sampson and Tim Naylor. The feedback on the song since the video came out, has been tremendous. Interest in the song has really picked up in recent times," Cezar explained.

Cezar says his mother is one of the persons who has been very supportive of his career choice.

A former student at Howard University in Washington, USA, Cezar studied architecture. He debuted in 2003 with the song I'll Be Dancing which he credits Jazzy T for putting into rotation on ZIP 103 FM. Sexy Ways on the Tunda Clap rhythm later followed. Lay You Down on the Stepz rhythm is probably his best known song.

A talented singer, whose material includes reggae, alternative, pop and R&B, Cezar has also written and co-written songs for Tami Chynn, Wayne Marshall, Machel Montano and television personality Empress.

Asked how he got involved with the Legal Rhythm project, Cezar explained "Delano and I have had a long-standing friendship and when the rhythm was given to me, the song immediately came to my mind. Will You Be isn't necessarily about a relationship with someone. It is also relevant when it comes to dealing with matters relating to family or even a friendship with someone."

Cezar's debut album is being earmarked for a May 2008 release. The album as well as his latest singles will be available on I-tunes via Rebelmix. - Jamaica Observer