Born to Do It

by

Craig David

Edit

I'm officially on the train. I can't get this damn thing out of my mind. I wish I had it this together when I was 20.

The man's vocal talents are obvious; he can swing, sing, rap, and flow with considerable ease. What matters at the end of the day, of course, are the songs. On this score, CD gets an 8.5 out of 10 in my book.

Craig David already gets Kudos for simply being intelligent enough to recognize that good songwriting is the foundation of the house; his efforts in developing his skills in this area are quite manifest, and it is a beautiful thing to see somebody hungrily training and developing his talent.

Then it becomes a matter of execution. The production team on this effort has done a terrific job.

The best debut in years, and certainly the best R&B debut since Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite.

Figured I'd expand my horizons and try something new. Mixed results.

Strengths: Craig David's voice is amazing, and the track "Fill Me In" is smooth. Many of the musical arrangements are terrific, as the acoustic guitar fits nicely on all the tracks. Clearly, David is talented. He is, as his album title states, born to do it.

Weaknesses: Lack of song-theme variation. In fact, it's non-existent. Every track is about Craig and the girl of his affections. Then again, when you're in your late-teens, you're not liable to talk about much else. Still, it gets old.

Also old is the "Craig David...one time" shtick. I only wish it were one time. It's more like fifty. Dude, I know who you are. Dropping your name like a hiccup chump is dumb, and it shows immense immaturity and even greater insecurity.

Overall, this isn't a bad disc. I was hoping for something a little more cerebral. Then again, this is an R&B album. If the goal is to "seal the deal" with that special lady friend lying on your bed, this is the ideal album.