Poor old Craig David. Lauded as the face of UK soul when he first emerged 5 years ago, nowadays people associate him more with a TV comedian in a ludicrously oversized rubber mask. All The Way is David's comeback single and his attempt to reassert himself as a serious artist rather than a comedy whipping boy for Avid Merrion.
After a long time away, you'd expect some invention and development from David, but it has to be said that this is the same old, same old. It's polished, it's professional, it's typically smooth, but it's lacking any heart, any passion, any wit or any spark at all. The lyrics are particularly woeful - Craig's wooing his lady again, telling her to get "all dressed up and a fresh haircut" before going onto a club where they'll be "ladies shaking it up" and "fellas with their hands up". What the fellas exactly have their hands up is thankfully not made clear.
All in all, it makes one yearn for a Daniel Bedingfield record, and that takes some doing I can tell you. If it's smooth, pop-friendly soul you're after, then Lemar does this a whole lot better these days. A monumentally uninspiring comeback, and the polar opposite of "proper 'Bo, I tell thee".
more 