Born To Do It

Description

The scene was set before Born to Do Its release: Craig David, garage pin-up superstar and king of the two-step scene. Er, not quite. Apart from the two chart hits hed enjoyed with the Artful Dodger and as a solo artist (Rewind, Fill Me In respectively), this is an R&B album aimed firmly atand inspired byAmerica. The slang, the beats and the sentiments all echo Eric Benet, R Kelly and the rest. At times its almost comical: Craigs trouble is that better artists have already been there and done thatand theyve done it, well, better. When Craig does break from slavishly following American influences, he becomes the promising artist that those first two singles hinted at: Walking Away, with its electric guitar and slight folk feel, stands out a mile from the rest. Theres no doubt that the boy can sing, and at 18 years of age maybe its too much to ask of him to project a strong identity. The photography, the lyrics and the sideburns all hint at maturity that isnt there yet. Three albums down the line we could be hearing a good Craig David album, rather than this mediocre debut. Jake Barnes