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Craig David, England's club king, crosses the pond | craig_l
SCRAMBLED CRAIG David's Brit-hopped R&B has a delayed second life in the U.S.
Craig David: Frank Micelotta/Image Direct

This is an excerpt of the feature story that appeared in EW's August 3, 2001, issue.

Craig David obviously has no idea what he's doing. It's less than a week before his American concert debut, and the 20-year-old English R&B sensation is holed up with his eight-piece band in a dingy London rehearsal studio just south of the Thames. Perched on a stool, David has spent an hour fine-tuning a delicate a cappella coda to show-closer ''Fill Me In (Part 2),'' and the quietly authoritative singer and his three backup vocalists are clearly thrilled by the possibilities of their voices. Each subtly effective tweak evokes whoops of pleasure from the crack band -- skilled musicians reveling in the pleasures of the creative process.

What could David be thinking? Where are the stylists for costume changes? Where are the prerecorded vocal tracks for lip-synch rehearsal? Where, for God's sake, is the choreographer? ''I'm not really into dance routines,'' David explains in a lilting accent that belies his B-boy look. ''I like to move around on stage, but it's a balance -- if you do a great dance show, the vocals can be shaky if you're singing live.'' The vocals? Man, does this guy know anything about being a pop star?

Apparently so. In the last two years, David's debut album, ''Born to Do It,'' has sold nearly 5 million copies worldwide. He's scored seven international No. 1 hits, sold out a three-night stint at London's Wembley Arena, and has earned gold-or-better certifications in 20 countries. With ''Born'' just out in America and the single ''Fill Me In'' nestled in the top 20, David now seems poised to replicate that success in the States, although he's well aware that other heavily hyped British acts -- Robbie Williams, say, or All Saints -- have failed to seduce American listeners. ''I'm excited, but I've got a lot of work to do in the States,'' he says, relaxing at his manager's office a day before the rehearsal. ''I need to prove myself. Why is someone going to buy my record when they can go and buy Usher or Joe?''

For one thing, because ''Born'''s sophisticated understatement makes for richer listening. A honey-voiced crooner whose sneaky melodies tap you on the shoulder rather than smack you in the face, David is the rare contemporary R&B singer who understands the value of subtlety. ''I think the simplicity is so key in what I do,'' he says. ''With a lot of R&B, you get to the first chorus and people want to start riffing all the way through. If a listener is confused about whether an ad-lib is part of the melody, or the melody is part of an ad-lib, you've got a problem.''

Wise words for such a young singer, but then, he's been a pro for more than half a decade. Craig's father, George David, belonged to a West Indian social club, and his son started hanging out at their dance parties. One night, a DJ was spinning hip-hop and R&B records, and he let the younger David take a turn at the mic. He proved to be a charismatic MC. ''I was just kind of harmonizing, singing, ad-libbing, and he was feeling what I was doing. He was like, 'Let's go out and do some stuff together.''' Suddenly the 14-year-old kid was working the local party circuit, MC-ing at Southampton clubs and late-night boat parties, often until 3 a.m. ''My parents trusted me,'' David says. ''I chose my friends carefully, and they knew I had my head on my shoulders. I wasn't gallivanting around being an idiot.'' In 1997, David met producer Mark Hill, who owned Off the Wharf, a Southampton studio, and recorded dance tracks under the name Artful Dodger. ''The first time I met him, his voice just stuck out a mile,'' says Hill. ''It was incredible -- he was just a local schoolkid. It took a while to develop his technique, but he always had this great tone.'' David and Hill collaborated on ''What Ya Gonna Do?'' which they self-released on vinyl. ''It caused a storm on the underground scene,'' David remembers. ''Bristol, London, Manchester -- we were just amazed. We were these guys from Southampton, and we'd made a record that was getting five-star reviews. It was crazy.''

An instant club smash, ''What Ya Gonna Do?'' was one of the earliest hits of England's then-fledgling dance-music genre called two-step (the precise definition of which eludes even its fans). A second two-step cut, ''Re-Rewind,'' became one of 1999's biggest singles, and as the singer on both tracks, David found himself the face of a suddenly massive trend. A solo deal soon followed, and in August 1999 the Mark Hill-produced ''Born to Do It'' entered the English charts at No. 1.

When, on the night of July 17, the date of ''Born'''s U.S. release and a week after the London rehearsal, David and band take the stage for their first full U.S. concert -- a sellout at New York's Irving Plaza -- their set is heavy on R&B clichés. ''You guys are off the hook!'' David yells, imploring the crowd to throw their hands in the air. He even does a cheesy cover of Usher's ''Nice and Slow.'' But the hits sound great, and though ''Born to Do It'' has been available at retail for only 12 hours or so, the audience enthusiastically sings along to several tunes, deftly navigating David's tricky vocal rhythms. By the time the band launches into ''Fill Me In'' at the close of the 60-minute set, the crowd is, to borrow a Davidian phrase, ''feeling it.''

So, David may still be a few steps away from tuning American ears to his brand of understated artistry. Until that happens, he's willing, thankfully, to risk a minor fall in the house of Usher.


Posted Jul 30, 2001 | Order Article Reprints