I was as sure as night follows day that I would not like this album, in fact I was sure I would dislike it intensely. Based upon the fact that Mr David opened up with a single gambit that was as much a novelty as a crowd pleaser. Cheekily lifting a massive chunk of David Bowie as the backbone to your latest single is unlikely to do harm in the short term adrenaline fuelled single stakes and his copious ripping of ‘Lets Dance” for his track “Hot Stuff” was evidence of that.
However Craig David has undergone something of a metamorphosis for his latest release ‘Trust Me’. Gone is the pineapple chunks hairstyle and slicker than your average goatee which won him the merciless piss taking courtesy of Avid Merion. He’s donned a suit and shaved his head and took on the appearance of a man who has decidedly come of age. It’s reflected in his sound as well.
Single aside this is a strong gimmick free collection of quality songs that I suspect will be judged kindly in the years to come, consider this his journeyman album. There are meticulous pop gems in the shape “6 of 1 Thing” and “Friday Night”. These are strident pop soul moments that are elevated above the norm with a sheen of brass and big band that tweaks and expands upon a sound that others aren’t using as effectively as the man himself.
He echoes shades of Prince and Marvin Gaye in places but never needlessly pillages styles, contentedly maintaining his own identity throughout the album and showing most importantly that he is at ease with his new musical maturity and his now proven talent.
Yes, I’ve surprised myself. I can heartily recommend this album.
