In the year 2000, I went to Canberra for my cousin’s 18th birthday. I remember that night well, mainly because I was looking forward to seeing my cousin’s friend, whom I had a massive crush on.
But that weekend is also etched into my brain for one reason in particular: I discovered one of my favourite artists, Craig David.
I have been wanting to write a piece about Craig David’s first album for some time, and as always, I’m trying to fit it in at the last minute.
Anyway, that weekend in Canberra, while I was waiting for my auntie to take me to the bus stop, I noticed a CD sitting on the stereo. It was the first single from David’s album, Fill Me In. I had heard of him, but I hadn’t listened to David yet. That was about to change.
I put the CD in, and as soon as David said, ‘Got something to say’ at the start of the song, I was already hooked. I didn’t really admit this at the time, but I loved pop music. Looking back, it’s just stupid that I never really admitted that.
Anyway, I raved to my then-girlfriend and friends about David. Anytime I watched a music channel or turned on the radio, I would hear “Fill Me In.” When David released the second single, 7 Days, I became an even bigger fan. For some reason, though, I didn’t think about getting the album.
My girlfriend Jessica would surprise me that Christmas with one of my favourite presents I have ever received. You guessed it, it was Bron to Do It. I was over the moon, I couldn’t wait to get home and play it.
While Fill Me In and 7 Days were great songs, every song I listened to on that album I loved. One of my favourite songs is Follow Me, which is track number five. I waited, hoping that Follow Me would be one of the singles released from the album. However, the remaining two singles that David would release were Walking Away and Rendezvous. Personally, I feel like he missed an opportunity, but that’s me.
This album was my introduction to a genre called UK Garage music, or UKG. UKG had been around since the early 1990s, but I didn’t discover it until I started expanding my knowledge of music as a teenager.
One song featured on Born to Do It was called “Re-Rewind,” and while David is on vocals, it isn’t his song. That song is actually a UKG duo, Mark Hill and Pete Devereux, known as The Artful Dodger.
The Artful Dodger released their debut album titled It’s All About the Stragglers in November 2000. Like Born to Do It, the album is full of great songs, with my personal favourite being Please Don’t Turn Me On. Unfortunately, the album peaked at number 53 on the ARIA Album Chart.
Another UKG group that hit the ARIA charts in the late 1990s/early 2000s was Shanks and Bigfoot. If you don’t remember this group, you would no doubt recognise their hit song, Sweet Like Chocolate. The song featured Sharon Woolf on vocals and was off their album, Swings and Roundabouts.
For me, Born to Do It is an album that I can put on and that puts me at ease. I listen to it every Sunday night as I fall asleep to help ease my ‘Sunday Scaries.’ It is also an album that, while it is nostalgic, doesn’t seem out of place in today’s world.
What’s your favourite album to relax to? Let me know in the comments.
