22

“I always feel like you need to be more real-time and present in the now,” David confirms. That present involves an excellent new album, his eighth, in the shape of next year's 22. “It's 22 years since the first album, it will be 2022 when the album drops,” he explains of the title. This month sees the arrival of 22's glorious, MNEK-assisted lead single Who You Are, which cocoons a feel-good pop lyric about being present in a pristine UK garage casing courtesy of producer Digital Farm Animals. Like all Craig David classics it feels both box fresh and warmly nostalgic. “It will live in the world this song,” David says. “It feels so authentic, it has intention. Put on Who You Are to try and talk to someone that needs help.” • The idea of putting a smile on people's faces is at the heart of 22, an album whose title itself reflects myriad different themes. “There's also a spiritualism in the number 22 and what it represents,” he says. “In numerology it's a very powerful number and in terms of angel numbers it's bringing balance and equilibrium to my life. We're in a world where there's a lot of me against you, and so it's bridging the gap.” The title also represents distance; it's a date stamp that marks his career longevity. So what does the album's contents say about Craig David in 2022? “At its core it's still very much everything I've honoured since I was a kid, but in some ways I'm being more playful,” he says. “Loosening up the chains of my history. My debut is

Tracks

1~1~Teardrops
1~2~Dna - By Craig David & Galantis
1~3~Who You Are - By Craig David & Mnek
1~4~G Love (Feat. Nippa)
1~5~21 (Feat. Isong)
1~6~Give It All Up
1~7~Back To Basics (Feat. Gracey)
1~8~My Heart's Been Waiting For You (Feat. Duvall)
1~9~What More Could I Ask For? (Feat. Wretch 32)
1~10~Obvious (Feat. Muni Long)
1~11~Gold
1~12~Maybe

Details

Format: Vinyl
Artist: Craig David
Release Date: 25 November 2022
Genre: Soul
Label: BMG Rights Management
Distributor: Warner Music