Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Now, just like the Westlife situation, the goodness of the song is largely relative to the badness of the songs which have preceded it. Craig, for all of his relentless self-belief and optimism, can be a little overbearing at times...which is a nice way of saying that his career is entirely dependent on him going away for long stretches of time while we all have a nice long rest. This he has done, and it's kind of nice to see him again (let's gloss over the 'Hot Stuff (Let's Dance)', as it was the sort of song which only comes to you in a bad dream, and is best left well alone in the cold light of day).

He's also been the victim of a weird cultural double-standard which says that it's totally fine for Akon or Ne-Yo to put out song after song about picking up girls in nightclubs, and how brilliant they are at doing it (and doing IT, if you get my meaning). But they're American, and the stereotype us Brits work to is that Americans are show-offs, and we are a little more demure and eccentric.

Craig's efforts to break this restriction have been met with sniggers and mockery, which is entirely in keeping with the way the British approach anyone with that level of arrogance (we also , remember). We don't attack them physically, we just put a big rubber mask on, strap on a toy kestrel and pretend they're incontinent. That's the Great British way...

So, the more time goes on, the more credit you have to offer Mr David for even bothering to come back and put his head above the parapet one more time. Although you also have to conclude that his self-regard is so huge that he believes that he just HAS to share his musical gift with the world, which means you can't totally admire the man either. It's very much a case of six of one thing, half a doz...HANG ON! SEE WHAT HAPPENED THERE?

Musically, here are six of one things which I have noticed while listening to this song:

1 OF 1 THING: The way he sings "six of one thing" sounds not unlike the way Amerie sings "it's that one thing" in her smash hit, '1 Thing'.

2 OF 1 THINGS: Disco-type pop suits him rather well.

3 OF 1 THINGS: He does like to use a lot of the hip hop-type slang in his songs, doesn't he? Would it be too much of a re-introduction of that cultural double-standard to suggest that he doesn't always sound fully convincing? It's a bit like he's read a dictionary of rap slang and is trying to work these references in. He doesn't need to try so hard.

4 OF 1 THINGS: It's the same when he slips into mock-Caribbean patois for a bit. It's just slightly weird.

5 OF 1 THINGS: He's a better story-teller than he is given credit for. He should do more of it and less bragging..IMHO.

6 OF 1 THINGS: (sorry, this isn't musical). Working out and getting buff is all very well, but look at the video. He doesn't seem to be able to move his upper arms any more. Are his T-shirt sleeves too tight? Does he have sweat-stains? WE SHOULD BE TOLD!

Hey, all this not-baddery by previously quite-bad pop acts won't make the good pop acts go rubbish, will it?

Download: Out now
CD Released: February 18th

(Fraser McAlpine)