We are only one month into 2023, but R&B is off to a solid start. Daniel Caesar released “Do You Like Me?” on Jan. 27, and it has already been streamed on Spotify more than 5 million times at the time of writing.

Caesar’s first two independently released EPs — Praise Break and Pilgrim’s Paradise — received worldwide attention, and his 2017 debut album, Freudian, was nominated for two GRAMMYs. His clean vocals and love for the guitar earned him celebrity. 

He’s sticking to it this year. 

Caesar is reviving R&B by taking traditional chords and stripping them back. One of the most used chord progressions in jazzy R&B — Dm | G | Cmaj — makes up much of “Do You Like Me?”

It’s also heard in Doja Cat’s “Say So,” but the songs are vastly different because Caesar slowed the chords down, added a soulful bass line and harmonized his vocals to create a rich, emotional song. 

There are no fancy filters for him to hide behind. In a 2017 interview with Fender, Caesar said, “I feel as though my songwriting is stronger because (the acoustic guitar) is all I have.” It’s just him, and he owns it. 

“Do You Like Me?” is peak Daniel Caesar. It’s smooth and a little bit groovy. It’s a song to listen to at 1 a.m. with blue LED strip lights on — maybe pink if you’re feeling saucy. Give it a listen, and let Daniel Caesar titillate your mind.