Sexy, smooth British soul/R&B crooner Craig David has been on my radar since the early 2000s when his debut album, Born To Do It was making waves all over the world. While he’s been readily making music since his 2000 debut, with the unveiling of a new track called “Cold” on his official SoundCloud page a couple of weeks ago, I find myself considerably more excited about the prospect of new Craig David music than I thought I’d be.
While “Cold” isn’t an official single, it’s sound seems to be an indication of what we can expect on his forthcoming, as-yet-untitled sixth studio album, expected out later this year. “Cold“‘s slick, contemporary R&B sound marks a return to form for David, whose last album, 2010’s Signed Sealed Delivered, included a series of generic, dancified Motown covers and re-workings. “Cold” sounds sort of like an updated, modernized version of what we heard on his first two albums, Born To Do It and Slicker Than Your Average. The Spanish guitars are still there, calling to mind past hits including “Fill Me In,” “7 Days,” and “Walking Away,” as are an abundance of sexy electronic flourishes, bringing David’s particular brand of R&B into 2014.
For me, as a buzz track, “Cold” is definitely doing it’s job by generating excitement around David’s new project, rumored to be titled Following My Intuition. What also makes me excited is hearing that the sexy 33-year-old hit the studio with Toby Gad (Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Fergie), who actually worked with David on 2008’s “Insomnia” off his Greatest Hits album, the last album released through his old label Warner Bros. Additional collaborators who have been mentioned include Jim Beanz (Diddy, Nelly Furtado, Shakira), August Rigo (Justin Bieber, Musiq Soulchild, Sean Kingston), Fraser T Smith (Jennifer Hudson, Adele, Leona Lewis), and Anthony Marshall (formerly of the Ignorants, who David worked with back in the day) Sounds promising!
Craig David first popped up onto the scene in the late 90s, appearing on two tracks by UK Garage outfit, Artful Dodger, adding his smoldering vocal energy to “Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta)” and “Woman Trouble“, both of which were Top 10 hits in the UK. His sexy & soulful debut album, Born To Do It, released in 2000 featured two UK #1’s (“Fill Me In,” 7 Days“) as well as the first and only Top 10 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 (“7 Days“) in his career. The album also included the UK hit singles “Walking Away” and “Rendezvous,” which peaked at #3 and #8 respectively on the UK Singles Chart. The album went on to become David’s only #1 (to date) in the UK, peaking at #11 in the U.S. on the Billboard 200. Sophomore album, 2002’s Slicker Than Your Average, followed the same R&B formula as his debut, including the familiar Spanish Guitar riffs heard on his previous hits. The album peaked at #4 on the UK Album chart (the album fared worse in the U.S., peaking at #32) and producing four Top 10 singles, “What’s Your Flava?” (#8), “Hidden Agenda” (#10), “Rise & Fall” feat. Sting (#2), and “Spanish,” (#8).
David’s next two albums, 2005’s The Story Goes… and 2007’s Trust Me were the first released on Warner Bros., peaking at #5 and #18 on the UK Albums Chart (neither album was received an official U.S. release). While the albums produced a smattering of hit singles (“All The Way,” “Hot Stuff (Let’s Dance)” there was something missing that his first couple of albums had. His last record, 2010’s Signed Sealed Delivered failed to produce a single hit, with the only charting single, “One More Lie (Standing In The Shadows)” peaking at #76. Disappointing for sure, but if what I’m hearing on “Cold,” speaks to the direction of the new record, I think we’re all in for a treat. Sounds like Craig David might have his musical mojo back. Fingers crossed!
In addition to following Craig David on Twitter, Facebook etc., I highly recommend following him on Instagram. Shirtless pics…Miami nightlife pics (David is based in Miami now). Did I say shirtless pics? Yeah. Follow him. Listen to “Cold” BELOW.
Check Out Craig David on the web:
Official Site || Facebook || Twitter || YouTube || Instagram || SoundCloud