NEW YORK (NY RnB Magazine) - English garage/R&B superstar
Craig David has put up with a lot since his 2001 debut, Born to Do It, sold millions of copies worldwide and catapulted the young singer into the celebrity stratosphere.
Besides having to deal with the relentless English tabloids, David has seen everything from his sexuality to his musical roots to his musical agenda come into question. "Slicker Than Your Average," the new album's title track, is David's rebuttal.
"I've been able to touch on things that I think are a little bit more personal to me," says David. "I felt the first album, as much as they were experiences I'd been through, I always put them in a way that were kind of generic so people felt the song could have been written for them."
David holds nothing back on "Slicker," where he responds to critics, those in the U.K. garage scene who called him a traitor, and anyone else who crossed him. And just when you think Slicker will be all about David answering his critics, he busts out a song about ice cream (second track and first single "What's Your Flava?").
"I thought, 'I'll do five and a half minutes on the first track on the album, get it off my chest - which I think was important to give people an insight that I have got an opinion about things and I do hear what goes on - and then move on,'" he said. "Otherwise, people find that you get a little bit self-indulgent and they are quick enough to turn you off and go to the bar with friends and have a drink and be like, 'Whatever Craig. Great.'"
The rest of Slicker utilizes American-inspired R&B, the spastic beats of U.K. garage, and David's smooth-as-silk vocals to easily overcome the sophomore slump. While David collaborates with several producers, including former Artful Dodger Mark Hill (of David's "Rewind" fame), he only saved room for one other musician.
Sting hops on board on "Rise and Fall," which features a rewritten guitar line based on the former's "Shape of My Heart." "When it actually all came together it was such the perfect highlight for me because it was all about the song and it wasn't contrived in anyway," says David of the collaboration. "I learned a lot from him. He's someone I aspire to maintain the integrity that he's got and the longevity."
As is the case with many artists who taste copious amounts of sudden fame on their first album, the song reflects the pitfalls of stardom. "As quick as you have success it can be taken away from you," says David. "They will build you up and smash you down. Because I've never tried to play the tabloid game and try and use it to my advantage, I've been lucky and blessed that people have allowed me to grow as an artist and do my thing."
Slicker hits stores Tuesday (Nov. 19) on Atlantic Records.
