Wikipedia

Signed Sealed Delivered (album)

Signed Sealed Delivered is the fifth studio album by English singer Craig David. It was released on 29 March 2010 as his only album with Universal Motown. Produced by Jerry Abbott and Grant Black, the record primarily consists of cover versions, with two tracks sampling and reinterpreting Motown-era songs in a contemporary style, including "One More Lie (Standing in the Shadows)" and "All Alone Tonight (Stop, Look, Listen)." It concludes with the only original song, "This Could Be Love."[1]

Signed Sealed Delivered
Studio album by
Craig David
Released29 March 2010 (2010-03-29)
Length43:37
LabelUniversal Motown
Producer
  • Jerry Abbott
  • Grant Black
Craig David chronology
Greatest Hits
(2008)		 Signed Sealed Delivered
(2010)		 Following My Intuition
(2016)
Singles from Signed Sealed Delivered
  1. "One More Lie (Standing in the Shadows)"
    Released: 22 March 2010
  2. "All Alone Tonight (Stop, Look, Listen)"
    Released: 31 May 2010

The album was generally poorly received by critics, who described it as a derivative, overproduced covers album with limited originality, though a small number acknowledged some contemporary reinterpretation of classic soul songs. Despite the criticism, Signed Sealed Delivered achieved moderate international chart success, reaching the UK top 20 and charting across Europe and Australia, with generally mid-to-lower placements elsewhere. In promotion of the album, two singles were released, including lead single "One More Lie (Standing in the Shadows)," which reached the UK Singles Chart.

Background and composition

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In 2008, Craig David released his first compilation album Greatest Hits on Warner Bros. Records and Sire Records.[2] His final release with the labels, the album originally peaked at number 48 on the UK Albums Chart and eventually received a Silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streaming figures of 60,000 units.[3] Following his departure from Warner, David found himself in a period of uncertainty, with relatively few commercially attractive offers emerging. During this time, he was approached by Universal and offered the opportunity to record a cover album of Motown classics.[4]

Rather than adopting a rigid concept, David initially envisioned a collection of updated reinterpretations of songs he personally admired.[5] As the project progressed, it naturally developed a stronger Motown identity, influenced in part by his renewed listening to the music of Michael Jackson after the singer's 2009 death, which led him back to the records that had shaped his own musical upbringing.[5] Featuring reinterpretations of songs by artists such as The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, and Marvin Gaye, alongside unexpected choices like Curtis Stigers' "I Wonder Why." David described the project as more about reinterpreting songs he loved and challenging himself vocally than following a strict concept.[5]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?2.9/10[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarHalf star[7]
The GuardianStarStarStar[8]
SputnikmusicStarHalf star[9]
Sydney Morning HeraldStar[10]
The TimesStar[11]
Virgin MediaStar[12]

Critical reception for Signed Sealed Delivered was largely negative.[6] One of the few favourable reviews came from Carolinne Sullivan of The Guardian, who noted that David faithfully recreated the original performances, reproducing "every falsetto and hiccup." However, she questioned the purpose of such a straightforward approach, describing the album as a "karaoke record" and suggesting that David would be better served by rediscovering his strengths as an R&B songwriter rather than relying on covers.[8] AllMusic editor Mark Deming rated the album three and a half stars out of five and highlighted how David was reinterpreting songs such as "Just My Imagination," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," and "(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay" while bringing his own contemporary style to them.[7]

Writing for The Sydney Morning Herald, Annabel Ross viewed Signed Sealed Delivered as evidence of David's artistic decline, criticizing its "uninspired interpretations" of familiar soul and Motown songs and its dependence on sampled material. She concluded that the record was "a depressing reminder of a once-brilliant pop star’s complete irrelevance."[10] Simon Price of The Independent similarly dismissed the album as a predictable and unnecessary collection of covers, criticizing its "gloopy karaoke production" and arguing that David's "very ordinary voice" offered little improvement on the celebrated original recordings.[13] Hugh Montgomery from The Observer described Signed Sealed Delivered as a redundant and misguided collection of soul covers, criticizing its reliance on familiar standards given an "over-produced karaoke treatment." He was particularly dismissive of the album's attempts at reinvention and concluded that the record was "unfathomably redundant stuff."[14] Writing for The Times, Pete Paphideswas equally critical, portraying the album as a formulaic and commercially motivated collection of covers. He described David's performances as "an unremarkable karaoke turn" marked by "mere canine eagerness" and argued that, despite the strength of the source material, the album was defined by "arrant impudence" and weakened further by the "thunderously crap" closing track, "This Could Be Love."[11]

Commercial performance

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Signed Sealed Delivered achieved moderate chart success in several international markets following its release in 2010. In the United Kingdom, the album peaked at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming David's fifth consecutive top 20 album, and reached number two on the UK R&B Albums Chart, marking its strongest chart performance.[15][16] By January 2016, it had sold 33,779 copies in the United Kingdom.[17]

The album also performed well in Spain and Greece, where it reached numbers 14 and 21, respectively.[18][19] In Australia, the album peaked at number 24 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[20] Elsewhere in Europe, it reached number 38 on the Ultratop Flanders chart in Belgium,[21] number 48 on the Scottish Albums Chart, and number 76 on both the Ultratop Wallonia chart and the Italian Albums Chart.[22][23] The album also entered the charts in the Netherlands and Switzerland, peaking at number 93 in both countries.[24][25]

Track listing

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Signed Sealed Delivered track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."One More Lie (Standing in the Shadows)"
3:04
2."Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)"
3:20
3."All Alone Tonight (Stop, Look, Listen)"
3:29
4."I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
3:37
5."Just My Imagination"
  • Whitfield
  • Strong
4:03
6."For Once in My Life"
3:34
7."(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"
3:23
8."Mercy Mercy Me"Marvin Gaye3:34
9."I Wonder Why"
4:19
10."Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"
  • Whitfield
  • Strong
3:58
11."Let's Stay Together"
3:36
12."This Could Be Love"
  • David
  • Abbott
  • Black
  • Colin Lester
3:24
Total length:43:37
Japanese edition bonus tracks[26]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Fill Me In" (acoustic version)
4:34
14."I Wonder Why" (acoustic version)
  • Ballard
  • Stigers
4:45
15."One More Lie (Standing in the Shadows)" (acoustic version)
  • David
  • Abbott
  • Black
  • Solanki
  • Holland
  • Dozier
  • Edward Holland, Jr.
2:56
Total length:55:52

Personnel

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Credits adapted from album's liner notes.[27]

  • Jerry Abbott – producer, engineer, guitar, bass, keyboards (all tracks), programming (tracks 1–5, 7–12), handclaps (tracks 2–5, 7, 8, 10–12)
  • Grant Black – producer (tracks 1–5, 7–12), handclaps (tracks 2–8, 10–12)
  • Erkan Cetin – handclaps (tracks 2–8, 10–12)
  • Craig David – vocals (all tracks)
  • Benjamin Edwards – harmonica (track 6)
  • LaDonna Harley-Peters – backing vocals (tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12)
  • Sharlene Hector – backing vocals (tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12)
  • Wayne Hernandez – backing vocals (tracks 10, 11)
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering (all tracks)
  • Ali Tennant – backing vocals (tracks 6, 9)
  • Gay-Yee Westerhoff – whistle (track 7)
  • Jeremy Wheatley – mixing (all tracks)

Charts

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Chart performance for Signed Sealed Delivered
Chart (2010) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[20]24
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21]38
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[22]76
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24]93
Greek Albums (IFPI)[19]21
Italian Albums (FIMI)[23]76
Scottish Albums (OCC)[28]48
Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[18]14
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[25]93
UK Albums (OCC)[15]13
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[16]2

References

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  1. ↑ Design, Stephen Clark -. "Craig David: Special Delivery". bluesandsoul.com.
  2. ↑ Oliver, Nic. "Craig David – Greatest Hits (Sire)". MusicOMH. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
  3. ↑ "Certified Awards". Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  4. ↑ Patterson, Joseph; Verse, Ashley (11 November 2015). "No More Walking Away: Craig David Was Born To Do This". Complex. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 South, Scene (29 March 2010). "Craig David on his new album, Signed, Sealed, Delivered". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Craig David reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  7. 1 2 Deming, Mark. "Craig David, Signed Sealed Delivered". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 5 July 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  8. 1 2 Caroline Sullivan (25 March 2010). "Craig David: Signed, Sealed, Delivered | CD review | Music". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  9. ↑ "Craig David, Signed Sealed Delivered". Sputnikmusic. 17 May 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  10. 1 2 Ross, Annabel (14 May 2010). "Craig David: Signed Sealed Delivered". Sydney Herald. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  11. 1 2 Paphides, Pete (26 March 2010). "Craig David: Signed Sealed Delivered". The Times. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  12. ↑ Gittins, Ian (29 March 2010). "Craig David: Signed, Sealed, Delivered". Virgin Media. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  13. ↑ Price, Simon (28 March 2010). "Album: Craig David, Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Universal) – Reviews, Music". The Independent. London. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  14. ↑ Montgomery, Hugh (28 March 2010). "Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Craig David | CD review | Music". The Observer. London. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  15. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart on 4/4/2010 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  16. 1 2 "Official R&B Albums Chart on 4/4/2010 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  17. ↑ "Reborn to do it: Craig David selects Sony/Insanity for new record deal – News – Music Week". musicweek.com.
  18. 1 2 "Spanishcharts.com – Craig David – Signed Sealed Delivered". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  19. 1 2 "Greekcharts.com – Craig David – Signed Sealed Delivered". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  20. 1 2 "Australiancharts.com – Craig David – Signed Sealed Delivered". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  21. 1 2 "Ultratop.be – Craig David – Signed Sealed Delivered" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  22. 1 2 "Ultratop.be – Craig David – Signed Sealed Delivered" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  23. 1 2 "Italiancharts.com – Craig David – Signed Sealed Delivered". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  24. 1 2 "Dutchcharts.nl – Craig David – Signed Sealed Delivered" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  25. 1 2 "Swisscharts.com – Craig David – Signed Sealed Delivered". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  26. ↑ "涙をとどけて[CD]" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  27. ↑ Signed Sealed Delivered (booklet). Universal Motown. 2010.
  28. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 4/4/2010 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
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