Craig David - 'Hot Stuff (Let's Dance)'
So, he's been away from the charts for a year and a half, and he's been away from the Top 10 for nearly twice that long, and THIS is what he's come up with in all that time? Someone else's song with him singing over the top? He can't have spent THAT long in the gym, surely? And anyway, some of that iron-pumping time must just replace the time he used to spend on that mascara beard of his. What happened to the man we used to call Craig 'Craig David' David? Are we going to have to start calling him Craig 'Craig David Bowie' David instead?
See, I came to this with a certain amount of fondness for the man. It's partly the Bo Selecta thing (not the song 'Re-Rewind' - "when the crowd say bo selecta!" - that Craig did with the Artful Dodger, you understand, more the kestrel-carring, pant-wetting charicature in the Channel 4 TV show), partly his transparent desire to be the UK Usher, and partly his Kanye-level powers of self-belief.
And in reality there's not much here which deviates from the Craig David template of old. He's in a club, there's a girl, he's keen, he likes to think about her stillettos, her miniskirt and her thong, and she's into him too, and they're cuddling, and he wishes they were both naked. It's a very efficient, speeded-up version of that thing he used to sing about where he meets a girl on Monday, takes her for a drink on Tuesday and then sexes her right up for the rest of the week (they chilled on Sunday, and applied ice-packs to their tender areas).
And he does that super-speed rap-singing thing like he used to do too, he's very good at that. Rather than picking a rhythmic patter and jamming words into it, he tends to let the words dictate where the melody goes, so it's a bit of an aural waterslide, with sudden twists and turns (but no big splash at the end).
So, why the poor rating? Well, it's just the palpable air of laziness which comes out of the speakers. Everything about it screams "I've heard other people say this stuff, it must be how you do it", like Craig's read a manual on how to make a sexy dance song, only without having ever danced (or had sex). Not that this necessarily means it won't be a hit, but it might not be Craig's bits which are selling the song.
Or to put it another way, when you sample a classic tune to make a new song, and the best bits of the new song remain the bits from the classic tune you started out with, what is it you're doing exactly?
Download: Out now
CD Released: November 5th
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comments
Quick medication!!!!!!! Craig looks like PDiddy!! It maybe cos he's older but he IMO he ain't slicker than your average anymore.
i hate this song its so rubbish wish it wasnt even released
Great Great Great Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
real strong beat makes you want to dance
Well done Craig
I must say i think Craig Davids cover of lets dance by David Bowie is pretty good. Of course you could never beat the original Bavid Bowie is a legend, but Craig has produced a chatchy dance tune out of a brilliant song, i say fair play to him and hopefully he wont wait too long to bring out his next song.
its my song of da mo, got it on repeat its just a feel good tune... who cares about how or why hes made it, it just makes me smile and want to dance!! And that makes it good.
Agreed there are stronger songs lyrically on the album, really liking Awkward and 6 of 1