Record Review - Craig David: Signed Sealed Delivered

The last thing music needs is another album of ’60s and ’70s soul covers. It usually reeks with the desperation of a declining artist. However, the UK’s Craig David manages to infuse just enough harmonic variance, inventive interpolations, and fresh instrumental flourishes into these dusties to keep you from wondering why he bothered. While he never quite steals the classics from their originators, David easily catapults over several recent takes on new standards. With smart production from Jerry Abbott and Grant Black, David owns the furious house groove on “One More Lie (Standing in the Shadows),” the swaying ballad “I Wonder Why,” and the peppy attitude on “Sitting On the Dock of the Bay.” But sometimes the creativity is tardy and the effort rote, as with the disco closing on “For Once in My Life.” Not quite signed and sealed, David still delivers. 3 out of 5 stars.