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Review: Craig David at Brixton Academy, London
LONDON--Artists who can melt the hearts of the female masses with both their looks and their vocal chops don't come along that often. It's an exclusive club that includes Julio, Julio Jr., and now, Craig David .
David’s gig at Brixton Academy (12/9) was one few chances a British audience will have to see the R&B Romeo in a relatively intimate environment (the Brixton Academy holds 4,300). His upcoming U.K. arena tour, set to take place in March and April, is nearly sold out.
Dressed in a navy blue basketball shirt and matching pants, David performed all of the songs from his album, helped along by a backing band and three good-looking, muscley backing singers. Interspersed with with the syrupy yet addictive ballads from "Born to Do It," he skirted between miscellaneous R&B, rap and garage covers.
David delivered mellifluous and flawless renditions of chart-topping hits such as “Walking Away”, “7 Days” and “Fill Me In. " To pad out the show to a full 90 minutes, David “remixed” his songs on stage by speeding up the beat and singing them again. David also covered Human League’s “Human” with a claimed “R&B” delivery that actually wasn’t much different than the original.
But overall, David lived up to his reputation of being a charmer. He was composed on stage in the same way that Robbie Williams is when he does a show. He has yet to gain Williams’ grasp of mesmerizing a crowd when he’s not using his superb lungs, but he’s sure to improve during his arena tour next spring.
