Review Summary: Mission: Conquer America. Result: Failed. Inconsistent 2nd album from young & talented performer attempts to please too many people and exposes weaknesses. Highlights still make it worthwhile though.
During the middle stages of the opening title track of Craig David’s 2nd album ‘Slicker Than Your Average’, the following lyric is sung: “As much as I like, I can’t possibly please everyone”. How telling it is that these words are not sung by David himself! As judging by this album as a whole, it appears that pleasing everyone is exactly what David is attempting to do here. Ultimately, it proves too much of a burden for such a young performer to carry.
The opener actually states a lot about David’s mindset as he appears to have partially looked past the fantastic (8 million copies) sales of his debut and concentrate too heavily on his critics. Lyrics such as “Your music’s soft”, “You ain’t got nothing to say”, “They thought I wasn’t good enough” and “I’d only last one song” litter the piece as he appears to worry about his “imagery” and street credentials way too much. Furthermore, the cut is edgier in a new millennium hip-hop / R&B kind of way as looped synths and a mish-mash of vocals ineffectively try to poke the track’s head into multiple genres during the overlong 6 minute duration.
Not only on the opener, but elsewhere, you can mentally imagine record label executives plotting in a structured format how David would conquer America with this album. That edginess of the title track continues through the first 3 songs here, but unfortunately it sees David too far out of his comfort zone and America was subsequently anything but conquered (approximately 500,000 copies were sold in the States compared to 1 million of the debut). Admittedly, a track such as 1st single ‘What’s Your Flava’ is the kind which the debut required, as while not being anything outstanding in isolation, it is an accessibly edgier dance cut that adds effective variation to his routine.
Unfortunately, that positive step taken is counteracted by a few backwards steps. ‘Fast Cars’ sounds like a cheap attempt to make the ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ soundtrack & maybe score a cameo acting gig, while ‘Personal’ is a forced attempt at a sexy ballad that is overlong, contains awful lyrics and comes complete with an annoying background dripping noise. ‘Eenie Meenie’ may be the worst of the lot though as David’s ability to work magic on counting to 10 and reciting the days of the week on his debut, doesn’t mean he can make a chorus of “Eenie Meenie Minie Mo” also work. A rap breakdown by Messiah Bolical and a ridiculously extended finish which pads the song out to over 5 minutes also bring it down to cringe worthy depths.
Record executives aren’t totally foolish though and they clearly recognize that David is one hell of a talented performer when doing what he does best. Thankfully, that is also on show multiple times throughout ‘Slicker Than Your Average’. 2nd single ‘Hidden Agenda’ sees that smooth and likeable nature return in a nice overall package, even if the chorus doesn’t quite live up to expectations. Meanwhile, piano-driven ballad ‘You Don’t Miss Your Water’ is a charming piece where David croons effectively at a snail’s pace.
The best of the lot though is track 7 ‘Rise & Fall’, where a big gun has been brought in to assist reaching a greater target audience (including America). This 3rd single sees Sting lend a significant hand to this fantastic track which better addresses the issues of dealing with success that was brought up in the opener. Sting almost plays the role of the experienced voice of conscious here as his contribution to the effective chorus combines near-perfectly with David’s vocals to result in a thoroughly memorable piece.
The final 5 tracks see David largely in cruise control as they are the kind of songs he could write and perform blind-folded. Fortunately, every one of them includes something to like, meaning their existence is more than just by-the-numbers. Whether it is the catchy choruses of ‘Hands Up In The Air’ and ‘2 Steps Back’, the female vocal accompaniment of Katie Holmes on ‘What’s Changed’, or the nice harmonies of closer ‘World Filled With Love’, there should be something for fans of David’s debut ‘Born To Do It’ that strikes a chord amongst this lot.
In fact, what may have initially been a simple targeting of the American latino audience with 4th single ‘Spanish’ ends up being considered one of this album’s best tracks. Hand-clap backed and containing occasional flourishes of Spanish music, the mixture of ingredients intertwine with a rap-like breakdown by Duke One to ultimately result in a likeable and fairly memorable piece. So much so, that this track went on to become David’s tenth consecutive U.K top 10 hit.
As any artist admirably attempts to progress their career, inconsistency will always be a factor and that has definitely come into play here with Craig David’s 2nd album. However, the extent to which it has is significant and worrying. The major reason for this seems to have been attempting to please too many people all in one overlong (61 minute) package. Furthermore, it’s clear that the American market has been clearly targeted here, resulting in David moving too far out of his comfort zone and exposing some weaknesses. Thankfully, David is a talent and there are a sufficient amount of hits interspersed among the misses to make ‘Slicker Than Your Average’ still worthwhile.
Recommended Tracks: Rise & Fall, Hidden Agenda and What’s Your Flava?
