Craig’s romantic mission

STAR MAKES A CLASSIC RETURN

OLD–skool smoothie Craig David wants more R&B stars getting romantic instead of “popping champagne” in clubs.

Southampton’s finest returns with soulful new album The Time Is Now today – a return to classic R&B storytelling.

Now Craig hopes other singers will become more imaginative with music to get people hot under the collar.

Craig told me: “The R&B that’s run for the past three or four years was like, ‘I’m in the club popping bottles, this girl is wearing this’ – that’s fine, it serves that purpose.

“But there needed to be The Weeknds or Bryson Tillers that caught you off guard – there’s a new wave telling stories and that’s what I’m bringing back.”

Maybe fellas simply are no longer as chivalrous as they were when Craig sang Seven Days?

He laughed: “Chivalry is out? Come on, at least take a girl to Nando’s.”

The new album references his past while moving things forward.

He agreed: “You can find out a lot about people if you go back to their first record. At the heart of (2000’s) Born To Do It was R&B and now is my chance to do another R&B record.

“It means a lot to me to be relevant to new generations.”

Naturally, Craig has had his share of romantic encounters too. He says: “I flew someone to South Africa for a date once. It was very spontaneous – that’s what I’m about.”

Sadly it didn’t last, but Craig may yet meet a girl on Monday.

He added: “My heart is always open. It’s that moment of serendipity that I love – it will happen when you least expect it.”

Not on Sunday though, that’s when he chills.