The Next Big Thing? Not So Fast

“Not only the next big thing ... the real thing,” Atlantic Records declares boldly in a recent ad for R&B-pop; singer Craig David--and you can understand the label’s cockiness.

David, who made his Los Angeles debut Thursday at the El Rey Theatre, is already the big thing in his native England, where he became the youngest British artist ever to have a No. 1 single when “Fill Me In” went to the top of the charts early last year.

He continued on a roll when his album, “Born to Do It,” became a runaway bestseller in Europe and he was nominated for a truckload of Brit Awards, the English equivalent of the Grammys.

When the high-profile David didn’t win any, his peers raced to his defense. “If there’s a better singer in Britain, then I’m Margaret Thatcher,” Elton John declared. Bono and Oasis’ Noel Gallagher also praised the young singer.

And David is making a belated move in this country. “Fill Me In,” a cleverly crafted tale of anxious parents and sexually charged youngsters, is racing up the sales charts, and his album is expected to debut in the Top 20 next week.

The enthusiastic response of the young audience at David’s concert Thursday must have also made his record company feel good about the first half of its boast. But the show itself left serious questions about whether this highly-touted newcomer is the real deal. Could it be that all that praise from his peers was just professional courtesy?

As a performer and singer, David is gifted enough to win a following among a young audience ready to move beyond the polite offerings of today’s teen pop.

But he shows too little character vocally or compelling presence onstage to be considered remotely memorable at this point. The most intriguing thing about his vocals is his ability to sing with the energy and speed of a hyperactive rapper.

And don’t say it’s a rush to judgment to point out inadequacies in someone who’s just 20. Alicia Keys, another hot 20-year-old arrival, exudes enough strength as a singer and songwriter to already challenge such older rivals as Jill Scott and Macy Gray.

But there’s no way that you can think of David in the same league as, say, D’Angelo, who was just 21 and already compelling when he released “Brown Sugar” in 1995 and who now reigns as the most commanding male in R&B.;

David operates in a much lighter, pop vein than D’Angelo, exhibiting little of the latter’s soaring gospel edge or burning intensity. His biggest problem is the ordinariness of his material. Some songs Thursday could catch your ear on the radio, namely the teasing “Fill Me In,” the good-natured sexual celebration of “7 Days” and the resilient spirit of “Walking Away.”

Too often, however, David’s songs--most of them co-written by Mark Hill--have a cotton-candy lightness. They are about as generic as you’d expect something titled “Time to Party” or “Booty Man” to be.

David’s music had more punch at the El Rey than on record, thanks to an aggressive five-piece band and three backup singers. But it was little compensation for the overall lack of personality and depth.

He seemed to be carried much of the time by his youthful good looks and by the novelty of his ties to Britain’s infectious two-step/garage dance movement.

Atlantic may have a star on its hands, but it’s far too early to brand David the real thing. There are simply too many blanks that still need to be filled in.