4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Smoothest Sound Of 2000, February 27, 2001
This review is from: Born to Do It (Audio CD)
The brightest new star to hit the U.K. music scene in the year 2000 was without a doubt Craig David.One listen to this c.d. and you'll realise that he has got mega-star potential for not just Europe but also worldwide.
He of course came to initial fame with the help of dance duo Artful Dodger,so it was no major surprise when his debut solo single "Fill Me In" hit number 1.This song opens the c.d. "Born To Do It"-it's a real smooth mix of R/B and Garage-and tells the story of a teenagers naughty relationship.The next song is driven along by a beautiful yet furious rhythm-it's got potential hit single written all over it.In fact the next two songs were also hits over here."Rendevous" a slow grinding sort of song and "7 Days"-both sound pretty similar.They both have gentle keyboards,soft acoustic guitar and both are just really catchy songs.So the first four songs totally amazed me with their overall quality.Normally I'm not a major fan of this type of music,but this c.d. was proving to be a major exception to that rule. Follow Me is another smooth grooving ballad.It isn't as good as the first 4 songs,but then that standard was always going to be hard to maintain.The next song also uses the same harp sounding synth used by Brandy and Monica and it's a sound that is used throughout this c.d.This would be my only fault with the c.d.,is that many of the songs sound too similar after a while.That's why the next song "Walking Away" is my favourite on the whole c.d.-it is an amazing song.On this he uses strings,slightly vocoded vocals and a guitar riff which is not too disimilar to the one used by U2 on their song "One",oh yeah and the bass line is stonking also.The song is my highlight on this c.d.Yet even though it's hard to top the previous song,the next one "Time To Party" comes very close.It's a more upbeat,swinging song and yes as the title says it's a real party song,with a great chorus. Potential hits just keep flowing with the next song-"Booty Man"-it's a fast-paced ballad,with superb riff done on electric guitar.At this stage it's just quite amazing that every song on the c.d. has potential hit single written all over them-I mean the standard is just that good.You know he could milk the hits from this c.d. for two years!!Song 10-"Once In A Lifetime" is a bit too commercial for my liking-it's got a 'boy-band' feel to it,and is one of the weaker songs in my opinion.The quality of this c.d. is relentless as the last two songs are good also.The last song "Rewind" is a bit special as it's the song that brought him to the attention of people and is thankfully included here.It's got a major garage/d.j. feel to it.
So this c.d. has made me change my opinion about this particular musical genre.No matter what type of music you like I gurantee you'll like this c.d.The song quality is just so amazing.The thing I can't wait to see is when the U.S. sits up and takes notice of Craig David,cos he's got the potential to be massive there.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fill You In On Craig David!, January 29, 2001
This review is from: Born to Do It (Audio CD)
Craig David is a 19 year old hip hop phenomenon if you ask me! I first discovered him after reading about his first single, "Fill Me In" in british mags. After listening to the first few seconds of his single, I was hooked. Craigs music is a mix of hip hip, r and b, pop, romantic guitars, and garage [meaning sorta jungle-like]. I was lucky enough to pick up a copy of Mr.Davids CD for Christmas time, from my British aunt, and here is a track by track listing for you!
1.Fill Me In: Craigs first single is really catchy, and once you learn the words you'll find yourself singing them everywhere. Even if you don't, the melody and certain catch-words will hook you.
2.Can't Be Messing Round: Craig produced this whole song, and its a great hip hop song with a easy to learn, catchy chorus.
3.Rendevous- This song is really sweet and Craig's voice sounds good. The backround guitars and opening voice thing is really catchy, as is the chorus.
4.7 Days: Craigs 2nd single is incredibly infectious. The chorus, the lyrics, the two different guitar parts...a very well produced track.
5.Follow Me: Obiviously a filler, this song is sorta cool because his voice skips over itself, and he repeats words. Hard to explain but this slower song is a interesting one.
6.Last Night: This is a total bar song, and you can just picture it being played there. The little voices, like the spanish woman, and Craigs alter ego guyz who appear all over the album add to it.
7.Walking Away: Craig goes Indy! Not my fave song, and I wouldn't have expected him to pick it as a 3rd single, but a nice song none the less.
8.Time To Party: This song just revs you up for the weekend. In some ways it reminds me of song 6, but its really different.
9.The Booty Man: A nice slow romantic song, with warm vocals and lyrics, it just is a great chill-out track. The chorus words are sorta funny though.
10.Once In A Lifetime: The backround music in this song, focuses on the piano, and you can picture this being something like the last song before the encore, as its a nice airy, movie-soundtrack type song.
11.You Know What: One of my faves, you can picture Craigs dancers [if he has them!] doing a dance routine in couples to this track. Its a good song to dance to and realllllly catchy.
12.Rewind: Artful Dodger helps Craig out here, in this Jungle track which sounds like a normal club song, until the chorus. I won't spill anything, but basically, CD doesn't sound like himself that much anymore :P
So take my advice now! Buy this CD no matter what, try and get a copy. Tell your friends and be ahead of the crowd, cuz when Craig actually does come over here to Canada/USA, he'll rock the continent like no other...for now its just my little secret!
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