Craig David is back on our radar since his appearance on Mistajam’s 1Xtra show with garage crew parody Kurupt FM and Big Narstie. The clip of him singing Fill Me In over the Justin Bieber, Skrillex and Diplo collaboration Where Are Ü Now created quite a stir on social media. This lead to countless bootleg edits of the clip and a succession of hype and support followed, of course.
Big Narstie admitted to being a huge fan of Craig David, citing memories of skipping school and listening to garage years ago. This admiration must have been mutual because their single When The Bassline Drops quickly followed. This prompted appearances on prime-time television such as The Jonathan Ross Show and, months later, here we have his first album release in years. Since becoming the butt of many jokes (helped by the impersonation of him on Bo’ Selecta!), Craig spent many years in Los Angeles but is now ready to shake off the cobwebs and bravely reintroduce himself into the music world.
We kick things off with some bright summer sounds, a well executed but relatively uninspiring house track full of piano stabs and rolling build ups. Ain’t Giving Up featuring Sigala is a decent start to the album. He has always known the formula for a great pop chorus; his ear for writing melodies and his flawless vocal precision are very apparent on Change My Love. The collaboration with young guns Blonde is another well put together piece – the Eton Messy founders have given Craig a brilliant house/garage crossover beat to work with and the combination is a huge success. With 18 tracks in total, it’s refreshing to hear some different styles and tempos in the form of Don’t Go, a great piece of pop/drum and bass action that echoes Rudimental’s style. Long-term fans will be glad to hear some R&B has made its was onto the project; Couldn’t Be Mine sounds like an instant classic and is reminiscent of his first few singles.
Easily the most exciting name on the tracklist is the up and coming beat maker Kaytranada. Got It Good has everything that a fan of his would want to hear. Its funky bass and expertly selected vocal samples bring a much-needed element of class to the proceedings, Craig certainly complements the production but the track would be just as strong without him. It leads nicely into All We Needed, the first real ballad of the project and a chance for Craig to flex his vocal chords. His vocals are just as good as ever but they are overshadowed by some poor lyrics and, at times, embarrassing attempts to stay current. 16 is a perfect example of this, his album version of the Mistajam appearance has kept the Fill Me In vocal and still uses the same beat, however, once his “bars” come in, it falls apart. For a guy from Southampton, he adds unnecessary South London slang and at times his accent changes. This really doesn’t suit him and begins to detract from what could be an incredible song. One More Time, unfortunately, follows suit. This time in the form of a swinging garage track that has half-time rap parts. Phrases like “mandem”, “wavy” and “low it” seem very out of character when compared to the sweet boy love-song approach he often uses.
What If thankfully saves the day with some cliché R&B elements like acoustic guitar and choppy beats, his musicality and delivery are on point once again. Fans of Usher and anybody who loved the old Craig David will be impressed, those who doubted his comeback with Big Narstie will be proved wrong. This is Craig David at his best, technically impressive vocal runs and harmonies complementing a beautifully simplistic arrangement. Better With You gives us more of the same, this time swapping the acoustic guitar for an electric, finger-clicks replacing the snare for a much more subtle finish. No Holding Back featuring Hardwell will be the DJ’s favourite – it features the same electronic bass pluck that is prominently used throughout the album and progresses nicely between club energy and at home listening. The irresistible chords and vocal hook are layered brilliantly, Craig is at home over this tempo and once again delivers a strong performance. Here With Me is another MJ Cole style garage slammer – production-wise it is one of the album’s best songs.
The project finishes in fine style with another couple of beauties, one of which comes in the form of a very 2016 sounding pop/dancehall beat. The quality seems to improve as the album progresses, maybe partly due to any preconceptions being forgotten. Craig David was never going to release a perfect album, and with his reputation, it is difficult to listen without judgement. However, the good definitely outweighs the bad and eventually his weaker moments are forgiven. This album will no doubt appeal to many different people.
Come and see us at your local Richer Sounds store to hear it on some of our floor-standing speakers and reminisce with his old school flavours!
