Craig David - One More Lie (Standing In the Shadows)

Craig David you are a genius.

But I'm sure you guys already knew that.

I say time and time again that I hate generic eurocrap loops - I really do. I hate them because one, they sound cheap and two, they sound cheap because they're not done right. You guys know where I'm going with this.

Craig David did it right. He always does.

Although Insomnia was a little to 'mainstream'/Chris Brown rip-off for me, I couldn't deny the fact that Craig David knows how to make music. There have been mistakes direction-wise but execution-wise the guy knows exactly what to do and HE DOES IT SO DAMN WELL. Add a gorgeous voice and gah, I can just faint. Seeing him live last year made my impression of him even better - this guy not only knows how to make music, he knows how to perform it. I don't think you need anything else.

One More Lie is a pleasure to listen to - I adore everything about it. I've missed well-done singles and after all the crap that's being put out now, it's nice to hear some real music. But that might be because I'm a fan.

The hook at the beginning is very Eurocrap-y but it doesn't sound cheap, one of the few songs that're like that. The verses are standard Craig David - I swear if he ever stops doing what he does I'm going to throw a fit. Then go back to adoring him. LOL. Clean vocals, processed, but at least the guy can pull it off live (I know he can.), unlike a lot of people who process their vocals.

The thing with this guy is that he's not just a singer, he's a musician. Being a musician gives him all these opportunities to do so much with his music - thank heavens people like it because if they didn't, I'd throw a fit. Again. I'm a little disoriented right now because of all this brilliance. Just listen to the damn song, will you? But before the video, time for some 'spazzing' from me.

GAH THIS SONG IS BRILLIANT. GAH. LIKE OH MY GOSHHHHHHHHHHHHH. lol. Back to the real world.

5/5 You guys saw it coming.

I. Cannot. Believe. This. + A new Craig David demo..

So a while ago while I was at the mall I went into the record store looking for a Rain album(which I found, and bought - brilliance.) when I came across this:

(click to enlarge..)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! For crap's sake, do you know how hard it is to find this album here? I always, always complain about record stores here not stocking anything that's not big in the US and I'm not kidding when I say that the only GA album I've seen for sale here is Chemistry and it's not even the special edition! haha. It's been like six months since this was out(I think.. could be more.) and I only found it now. When I finally found the damn album, I screamed and I got a few glares but who cares - I FOUND IT!!!!!!!! MWAHAHAH.

Note to Pinoys who want a copy: I found it in the SM North EDSA record bar - the one opposite the old Cyberzone/Car Park? hahah. It might be in Tower or M1 as well.(although the SM record bars have 8 out of 9 Westlife albums.. when Tower only had like one) Me giving out tips on where to buy physical albums, when did this ever happen? Oh, and can you believe it's only 350? I paid 600 for the Rain album! hahah. Moving on.

So there's this song floating around which is supposedly by Craig David but when I opened up the file the artist was this guy called LaShawn Daniels who's apparently a songwriter(he wrote Destiny's Child's Say My Name). Since there's still a possibility that Craig David's going to be on the track at some point in time, I listened to it and it was utterly brilliant - definitely something that could be on his next album. It sounds like an even more CD-ish Insomnia, which is fantastic for everyone - people get the generic R&B they want and I get brilliance. Of course he's gonna give it even more groove but the song we have right now isn't that bad - the guy can sing.

PS: Cook's brother died a few days ago, I assume(I saw the news this morning but I'm not sure exactly when he died..). Even if I hate his music now, I still have a soft spot for the guy so my thoughts are with him and his family.

Craig David. Is. BRILLIANT.

I'm sorry for not posting my review earlier but my exams are finally finished and I only have one project to finish so by the seventh I'm all yours - blogginggggg! haha. Let's get on with this.
I don't have any videos and I don't have any pictures, all I have is a crappy recording of the show but everything's for a reason. I didn't take any videos because I was afraid that I'd become too pre-occupied with the video that I wouldn't pay any attention to the actual artistry and brilliance that I was certain would be displayed that night.

I got to the venue half an hour early for the show so we got popcorn and drinks before finding a good seat because unlike all the other concerts I've been to, we weren't in the SVIP or VIP sections - we were at the back. We found our seats, got a good view of the stage and just waited. At 8 PM 'till about 9 we were barraged with these crappy, second-rate Filipino front acts. I'm not generalizing my own culture - there are some brilliant artists from here but it's just that almost everyone in the R&B arena here is just a big wannabe. The last support act was MYMP, a big cover band here and yes, the girl has a nice voice but they won't get anywhere creatively if they keep on doing crappy covers of American songs.

So at about 9 PM, the band started coming onto the stage. 15 minutes later, the show started with either 6 of 1 Thing or Hot Stuff(Let's Dance) and then the other one. I was just so engrossed with the whole show because now I know what a brilliant band can do to brilliant songs - miracles. The show was like nothing you could get on the record because the drums were real and everything was real - no fabricated and processed drums with a brilliant band and Craig David.

That's what I liked about this concert - it was real. No messing around, no lying, just Craig and his band. It was the first concert I saw where I actually really, really liked the artist and it's by far my favorite concert since ever. I loved every bit of it and I didn't want it to end.

For maybe two or three days after the concert I didn't want to listen to the recorded versions of the songs he sang because the live ones were waaaay better.

I forgot the order of the songs but what I do remember is that he sang Insomnia, What's Your Flava?, Fill Me In, All The Way, Take 'Em Off, 7 Days, Unbelievable, Walking Away, Rise & Fall, Friday Night, the two songs from Trust Me I stated earlier and his encore was Rewind.

New Music!

I can't help myself, there are quite a few things out. I'm almost done studying anyway! hmm.

• THE CRAIG DAVID CONCERT WAS SPECTACULAR. I promise to review the whole thing once all my requirements are done.. You had to be there to feel the brilliance.
• I've become a HUGE The Script fan. When I first heard them I thought they were this crappy Coldplay wannabe but then I turned the volume up and heard my dad's production in it. He didn't produce it, obviously, but all the qualities of something he'd produce were there and it made me tear up for some strange reason.
• Ronan Keating's cover album is out at it's number one in the UK. Not a big fan of the covers(Carrickfergus was better when Charlotte Church did it.), but hey - he's got four number one albums so you gotta hand it to him.
• Two new Mandy Moore songs are out. They're OK, but I Could Break Your Heart.... is still the best new song so far. Will be waiting for the album!
• Esmee Denters has a new song out - AND IT'S BRILLIANT. Just when I thought Gia Farrell would never come back, here's someone who sounds a lot like her! yay! hahah.
• Well, Kian Egan and Louis Walsh's STILL unnamed girl band had an Irish TV appearance the other day, singing a Dixie Chicks cover. They apparently have competition now, the new girl group with a girl who didn't get a place in the other band are rumored to record the new Grey's Anatomy theme song. This is WAR.
• Last year's Swedish Idol winner has an album out. There are some gorgeous songs on it but once again, there's no cohesion. They're nice songs to listen to though. I might review it after exams.
• Savannah Outen has a new song for this charity out and she sounds a lot like Jordan Pruitt at the start and though I will forever love Jordan Pruitt(and her utter brilliance), Savannah can be jaw-dropping at times.
• Pixie Lott got her first play Radio 2 some time back! Congrats!!!!!!
• I got re-addicted to Guy Sebastian some time back. I might do a few reviews as well... yay!
• Taylor Swift's song for the Hannah Montana movie has a video out already and may I say, it's the only good part of the whole soundtrack.
• Hold on, I thought the video for Moments That Matter was out already? Apparently not, here's a new one.
• Girls Aloud's new video is out. The album version was amazing, and I love the fact that Nicola sings first but something in the single mix and the video makes me uneasy about the whole thing. I'd love Revolution in the Head as a single though! haha.
  
  
  I guess that's it! Back to studying. Asian economics, systems of quadratic equations, uniform accelerated motion, Newton's laws of motion, Filipino short stories(which are like 10 pages each..), adverbial clauses of concession, congruence postulates, and everything else! UGH.

New Music!

I interrupt the boyband special for some of my new addictions! A quick one today, I'm leaving in an hour.

• I'm now, officially addicted to The White Tie Affair. Think Panic! At the Disco + Metro Station, amazing melodies, cool instrumentals.
• My dad is now officially addicted to the Ting Tings. I like to think I had a hand in getting him addicted : ). Remember, annoyingly brilliant! haha. As I'm writing this, he's playing That's Not My Name on the stereo at max. YES!
• Never in a million years did I expect to like Peter Andre. I'm liking Insania, cool song, great melody but so-so vocals. He's done pretty well in music, apparently. haha.
• I'm liking Another Level's Freak Me as well. Amazing melody and the rest of their debut album is just brilliant.
• The GA b-sides are awesome! I'm loving the megamix more than Memory Of You but they're both amazing! Plus the fact that it's apparently on 7" vinyl. Heck, I don't even know what that is!(Ok, I know it's one of those big black round thingies but that's it.)
• A still addicted to the Lady GaGa acoustic thing, it's so different from the original one! Speaking of her, Just Dance is number one in the UK this week! James Morrison is number two as well, yay!
• Northern Line ARE AMAZING. Check out the boyband post tomorrow: 5 Boybands that Demand Your Attention for more on probably the most amazing boyband in that post! haha.
• Craig David + Monrose? Coolness! I don't like Walking Away to start with but the idea of him doing a duet with different people in different continents reminds me of the BoA/Christian Castro thing Westlife did for FWW on their GH1. haha.

Other than that, there's nothing really new or groundbreaking. Remember, the Varsity Fanclub album comes out TOMORROW!(at least that's that I saw on a few blogs and sites..) Yay! Something to review! Yipeeeeee!

# 4: Craig David - Insomnia

I've professed my love for Craig David over and over and over and over again here, and I think you guys are getting a bit sick of it but this guy just keeps coming up with amazing music after all the artists who started with him have either broken up, stopped making music or are releasing all this crap.

Craig David has what other R&B artists want, groove. The ability to make people want to get up and dance or tap their toes or 'bang' their heads(for lack of a better term..) even if he's singing a slow song. That's what I want in an R&B artist, because isn't R&b RHYTHM and Blues? You need groove and rhythm, and Craig David's got that.

Insomnia was off his Greatest Hits album this year, and it's brilliance all over again, as if he's not brilliant enough. You've got the trademark Craig David word repetition at the beginning and then once the chorus kicks in, the melody goes from amazing to stunning.

I really admire him as well, because he said during an interview that he doesn't have to change his style just to break the US, if they don't like him the way he is then so be it. That's solid proof that he knows exactly who he is and he's not changing it for anyone. That's what I want to see in all these Disney and record label clones, a sense of identity.

Flashback: Craig David

With the release of his Greatest Hits just around the corner, why not go back, way back, to his first album, the album that made his career.

I've said before that Brits make amazing R&B, but what makes it amazing is that they don't just copy US trends, they take some and make it into something the British public will adore. The issue of identity has always been a big factor for me liking a certain artist. Unlike some American artists, British know who they are(at least from most of the British albums I've heard). They change, yes, but you can hear how much they stick to their roots, because from the start, they know who they are as artists.

Fill Me In(which he was Nominated at the Grammies for..) is an amazing song, and it's become the standard for every other Craig David song. This song was the perfect single, it highlighted his voice, set his standards and showed that he could really write a song, and do it well. Here's one of my favorite performances of Fill Me In, it's just genius!



When you listen to the album, you hear fourteen different songs, but in each song is a similarity in genre and style that, by just listening to it once, you know is Craig David. The similarities aren't spelled out, but listen carefully enough and you'll hear them. Once you hear them, you begin to appreciate Craig David even more, and you see just how much work he put into the album.

After Fill Me In, we got 7 Days as a single, which became his most successful single since. It was nominated for 2 BRITS and ANOTHER freakin' Grammy! How many people his age, and in his genre can do that? Plus that fact that he's British, and not a lot of Brits crack the US market.

This is what I meant when you don't really hear the similarities between the songs if you just listen to the surface, but when you listen carefully, you can hear that Craig David really knows who he is, and he shows us that, something not a lot of artists can actually do.

It's amazing how a guy like Craig David, at such a young age, could achieve that amount of success with just his first album. I mean, 2 self-written UK number one singles, six BRIT nominations, 2 Grammy nominations and heaps of other awards just for that album are testament to just how amazing he is.

Born to Do It has become one of the biggest albums by a UK R&B artist, 6x Platinum in the UK and Platinum in the US. I think that's enough proof that Craig David knows what he's doing, and he does it well.

NOTE: I wrote this review before I read this interview, which made me admire Craig David even more than I already do. So check the interview out, OK?

Don't forget to get your copy of his Greatest Hits when it comes out on November 24!

New Music!

This week was full of amazing album leaks and releases, so what better way to celebrate than to look back at all the releases I've written about, and write about some more!

• Some amazing releases from Leon Jackson, The Saturdays and Craig David and the Clique Girlz came out/leaked this week. Check out my reviews!
• On the subject of the Clique Girlz, their album is worth at least one listen for you, but there are songs like So Hard, So Far and Who Wouldn't Wanna that are worth careful consideration, they rock! One issue I have though, is the amount of covers on the album, and the fact that there are two covers from one artist.
• The new Lady GaGa tracks from her US release are goooood! It's a nice shift from her regular album that I kind of got a bit sick of..
• HSM3 hit theaters here yesterday, and I was in one of the big malls. Tons and tons of kids watching! It's a good thing I won't be watching for the next week or so, mainly because there are too many people.
• Clips of the new Girls Aloud album have surfaced. Popjustice said not to listen to them, but when I read it, I had already heard the whole sampler. Still, it's proving to be a strong album, a worthy opponent to The Sugababes and The Saturdays.
• BoA has been planning a US launch, and Eat You Up is proving well with the music blog circuit. Some of the lyrics(yum, yum????!!) are strange, but the melody is good and the dancing is amazing, as usual.
• Britannia High starts Sunday night in the UK, I don't know what to expect, really. Start Of Something is not bad, but it sounds like an attempt to make another I Dream. I adore I Dream, but I don't see the point in another one.
• The new weekly top ten is up, a lot of new entries and a lot of exits, but all of this week's new releases are represented! Last week's number one song, Side Chick slips to number four, behind Leon Jackson's Ordinary Days, which enters at number three Craig David's Insomnia, which retains it's number two position, and The Saturdays' Work, which zooms into the coveted top spot. To see the whole thing, look for the chart on the sidebar!

What to expect this week:

• An X Factor Live Show Recap
• Some Taylor Swift?
• And let's hope we get more new releases!

Craig David's GH!

OK, So I know the tracklisting was already on Wikipedia, but I like comparing if I got my own GH right. So, what did I get right?

What I Got Right:

Fill Me In

7 Days

Rise and Fall

Insomnia

What's Your Flava?

Where's Your Love?

You Don't Miss Your Water('Till the Well Runs Dry)

All The Way

World Filled With Love

Don't Love You No More(I'm Sorry)

This is The Girl

What I Didn't Get Right:

Walking Away

Rendezvous

Spanish

Just Your Imagination

6 of 1 Thing

Hidden Agenda

Hot Stuff

Rewind

See? 11 out of 19 right. YES! So, go out and get your copy now, it rocks, big time!

My ideal Craig David Greatest Hits

I've already planted firmly in your heads that I adore Craig David, so when I heard that his GH album is coming out this year, why not make my own and compare it to the actual album? Here are the songs, single or not, that I think should be on the Greatest Hits album.
1. Fill Me In - The song that started it all. The song that up to this day, is still amazing and ground-breaking. The song that made Craig David. Obviously, this HAS to be on the album, it's arguably his best song ever.

2. Fill Me In Part 2 - Not a single, but it's an amazing 'remix', the way the two tell a story is just mind-blowing. This should definitely be on the album.

3. 7 Days - a 'cool' song from Craig David but nevertheless, it's a UK number one, so it deserves it's place in this album.

4. What's Your Flava? - I remember seeing the video to this on the local music channel growing up. The song is strong, and very catchy, enough to spell H-I-T.

5. Rise & Fall with Sting - Not a HUGE fan of this song, but it was a number two record, and the touch of STING makes the song all the more enjoyable to listen to.

6. 2 Steps Back - Sounds a lot like Fill Me In, and it's another song that should've been a single. Seriously, everything about this song screams amazing.

7. Don't Love You No More(I'm Sorry) - This is an AMAZING song, a song a lot of people can sing along to. The melody is just gorgeous, the way his vocals were mixed add to the already amazing melody. One word, beautiful.

8. All The Way(H-Money Mix Featuring Lyracis) - The original version of this song has a lot of groove, but this remix made it more Brit R&B. Either way, it's an amazing song, so it doesn't really matter which one you listen to.

9. Unbelievable - Ah yes, the staple Craig David slow song. By the looks of this song, he could have a future in crooning, give Westlife a run for their money(and their stools!) and take teenage girls' hearts by storm. Again.

10. This Is the Girl - This took a lot of time to grow on me(a month!), mainly because I don't like rap, but seriously it's another Craig David staple, mind-blowing. The song should've done better on the charts, but even I didn't know it was a single until the album come out!

11. Officially Yours - Another staple slow song ala-Unbelievable, and yet again, Craig David delivers. It's not just any ballad, it's a ballad tailor-made for Craig David.

12. Where's You Love? - One of the new songs that leaked, it's going to take some time to grow on me. I adore the middle when he goes "pulling up to the club, where all the ladies are waiting, I can see they look hot....", but I'm not too sold on the other parts. Is this another This Is the Girl? I hope so.

13. Insomnia - To close the album off, an amazing song, worthy of recognition. The melody is infectious and the verses just make you anticipate the amazing chorus even more. All in all, an amazing song.

14. World Filled With Love - The song has another very beautiful melody. You see, even if he's this heavy R&B guy, he still manages to make these beautiful songs that catch your attention. Isn't that what an artist is supposed to do?

15. You Don't Miss You Water('Till the Well Runs Dry) - It's like World Filled With Love, but it's a very, very beautiful song again from him. I'm beginning to think that Craig David is synonymous for edgy, soulful songs with groove and slow songs that just give you goosebumps, which is true. A very beautiful song to close up an amazing album.

Heaps and heaps of new stuff!

Sorry for not posting in weeks, I've been so busy with final exams and projects that it was almost hilarious. But the semester's over, so for the next two weeks, expect a lot more of me! Here are the new stuff that sprouted out during my absence:

• The new Sugababes album is amazing! A favorite of mine is Side Chick, but the full review to follow.
• Popjustice released a clip of a track on the new GA album and I'm loving it as well! Yet another battle of the girl groups, GA won the single battle for me, but let's see who'll win the album battle!
• Two new Craig David tracks came out, I absolutely adore how his greatest hits album is coming together. The way he takes his old style and mixes it with the trends in R&B now puts him leagues ahead of Chris Brown and other acts in his genre.
• Leon Jackson's b-side is arguably better than the single, although maybe that's because I got a bit sick of Don't Call This Love. Let's hope he does relatively well on the charts and put Leona to shame!
• Another Taylor Swift song leaked, this time the title track, 'Fearless', which is another strong track on the album and proves once again that Taylor Swift is one of a few in her generation to get the shift from first to second album right.
• The new Take That single premiered, and may I say, I ABSOLUTELY ADORE IT! I didn't like 'Patience' that much, it was OK, but this new song, I'm loving. Can't wait to hear more!
• Paula DeAnda has a new song out, and it's not that bad. I loved her debut effort, so let's just see if she can get her sophomore album right.
• The new top ten is up, I haven't updated it in weeks, so a lot of movement and entrances on the chart. Check it out!

What to expect this week:

• A review of Catfights and Spotlights, the Sugababes' new album.
• My ideal Craig David GH album

I can just die and go to heaven!

OK, a lot of new music has come out from my absence... let's get this rolling! I have a video to edit and homework to do!

• The new Hilary Duff song is very, interesting. Less of the heavy dance and more of the pop she used to do, but you can sense in the song that it's an older, more mature Hilary. I personally don't like it that much, but it might grow on me with time!
• I ADORE the b-side to the Sugababes' 'Girls' better than the single itself. BUT, listening to 'Girls' and then 'Don't Look Back' is very cool. After the weight of 'Girls', with all the sampling, heavy instrumentation and compressed vocals, it's a nice balance to hear 'Don't Look Back'. This just goes to show that they thought about this single. Amazing!
• Popjustice put up a clip of Same Difference's new song earlier today and may I just say, IT'S AMAZING!!! Let's just put it this way, the last time I heard pop like this, or even remotely like this, was last year, when the Sugababes released 'About U Now', but nothing as sugary-sweet as this. It's almost or certainly HSM-level pop, and by today's industry standards, it's a heck of a lot of pop.
• And finally, Craig David's new song is proving to be one of my favorites this year. It's a lot like 'Forever', but let's face it, Craig David does R&B better. I mean, 'Forever' is, and always will be an amazing song, but Chris Brown lacks the consistency Craig David has had. I mean, 'Fill Me In' was and is still his best song for me, 'What's You Flava' showed everybody that he was versatile without loosing his style, 'Unbelievable' is a strong ballad-ish song and 'This is the Girl' grew on me. I'd give Chris Brown a few more years, and a few more 'Forever'-ish songs and the comparison will be equal but for now, I still think Craig David has the advantage. Plus, the song is DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS, and it has those standard Craig David verses before kicking into an amazing, addictive chorus. Genius.

Well, I'll post more when I get some more new music... so watch out!!

Craig David - This is the Girl

Artist: Craig David
Album: Trust Me
Year: 2007
Rating: 4.7/5

I gotta admit, before I heard this song, I hated rap, I refused to listen to it because every single rap song I heard was horrible. I was raised with an open mind to music, whatever the genre, if I liked the song, I liked it, that's what my dad taught me. From an early age I was exposed to all kinds of music, my dad loved(and still does..) Swing Out Sister, Pat Metheney, Chick Corea, people like that and produced countless local OPM standards, albums by the most legendary band to ever graze the Philippine music scene, the Eraserheads so you could say that I was brought up extremely musically. One genre my dad failed to expose to me though was rap. The house was filled with melodious music but never rap. Which explains why I never really liked rap.

When Craig David's album came out last year, I was expecting perfect melodies with that unmistakable Craig David sound and I got that, with almost all the tracks. Then I reached the last track on the album, 'This is the Girl'. When I heard the start, I stopped it because I hated the rap once again and left it at that for the next month or so. Then after a month I started listening to the album again, and I encountered this track, which I loved.

At the start, I overlooked the rap part, thinking it was just an accent to the melody of the chorus. I was wrong. As I kept on listening to the song, I realized that the rap gives the song something, something that without it, the song wouldn't be a song. Ok, a bit corny but it's true. I always thought that rap sections in songs accented the song instead of being an actual part of the song but obviously, I know that now.

So yeah, this song is very, VERY rap-influenced but the chorus is pure R&B, it's fantastic how Craig David can fuze those two elements with more leaning toward the rap without compromising the melody. This song is worth a listen, it's got substance, dynamics and very good vocals.