Search - Craig David :: Greatest Hits (W/Dvd) (Dlx) (Pal0)

A reminder of his best songs and a good attempt to capture a

Jazzy V. | 03/21/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The album serves as a reminder to the songs Craig had in the early 2000s.

Craig David was a great pop star, who simply needs to take some time to rediscover his love of music and win back the hearts of his audience.

With 13 million album sales under his belt, he was once considered one of our finest new soul singers, with a honey-sweet voice that even had the American audience swooning for a while.

The problem is the guy who sang about "7 Days" and what he did on Monday, followed by Tuesday and so on and so forth has become really dated. He might have been born to do it, but eight years is a long time and artistes like Ne-yo are simply a cut above.

True, "Walking Away" is still a great pop song and "Rise and Fall" shows how you big the man was, with Sting backing him.

"Greatest Hits" features the chart-topping singles "Fill Me In" and "7 Days", his collaborations "Rewind" (with Artful Dodger) and "Rise & Fall" (with Sting) that both peaked at #2 as well as a further five Top 10 singles. It includes also the very underrated, beautiful "What's Your Flava?", which, at the time of its release, was criticized for being too American. It really stands out.

As well as twelve of Craig David's biggest hits and most loved songs, the album features three brand new tracks in the shape of the single "Insomnia", "Just My Imagination" and "Where's Your Love", recorded with underground grime sensation Tinchy Stryder.

Out of the three, the new single "Insomnia", produced by Jim Beanz, the hot new producer from the Timbaland camp, is the strongest and mixes Craig's signature sound with dance rhythms and house music. Having said that, "Where's Your Love" updates Craig's sound when he first started out and takes him back to his garage roots.

He has had his share of ups and downs. The star of Craig David has been up and down like a rollercoaster since the release of his debut album "Born To Do It". While that album sold millions worldwide, Craig has experienced diminishing returns ever since. Some believe that it was Craig's decision to focus on the US before the release of second album "Slicker Than Your Average", while others credit Avid Merrion's impression on TV comedy series "Bo Selecta" for ruining Craig's credibility.

He reached number one with his debut album, 2000's "Born To It", and he's notched up an impressive 13 top ten singles in UK.

His smooth garage/ R 'n' B vibes, his grooves harmlessly slinked, bumped and grinded across our airwaves.

There seems to be a specific audience who remember Craig David's stuff from ten years ago and, as the majority of top 40 singles are bought by youngsters who wouldn't remember that time ago, the album doesn't stand much steed in success.

However, a greatest hits album is certainly the best way to go if you cannot face purchasing all four of the artist's released albums, so it certainly will do well.

The listener is taken on a trip down memory lane. There are many songs on the compilation that bring back memories of first night club experiences.

Highly recommended.

Born to Do It

Slicker Than Your Average

The Story Goes...

Trust Me

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