The Time Is Now (album)

This article is about the Craig David album. For other albums, see The Time Is Now.

The Time Is Now
Studio album by Craig David
Released	26 January 2018
Recorded	2016–2017
Genre	Tropical house[1] R&B[2]
Length	38:31
Label	Speakerbox Insanity RCA
Producer	Tre Jean-Marie Fraser T Smith Kaytranada Jonas Blue Chase & Status Steve Mac Diztortion Blonde Nosaappollo
Craig David chronology
Rewind – The Collection (2017) The Time Is Now (2018) 22 (2022)
Singles from The Time Is Now
"Heartline" Released: 14 September 2017 "I Know You" Released: 23 November 2017 "Magic" Released: 6 April 2018[3]

The Time Is Now is the seventh studio album by English singer Craig David, released on 26 January 2018.^[4][5] The album features guest appearances from JP Cooper, Bastille, AJ Tracey, Ella Mai, Kaytranada and GoldLink. The albums's first single, "Heartline", was released on 14 September 2017, through David's official YouTube account.

The album reached number two in the United Kingdom, making it David's fifth UK top 10 album.

Background

On 15 September 2017, less than a year after the release of his comeback album Following My Intuition which became his first chart-topper for 16 years, David announced the follow-up, The Time Is Now. In an interview, David said: "The motivation and inspiration behind this album was all down to the huge realisation that even when I wasn't as focused, there were amazing lessons to be learnt."^[6]

The album features collaborations with Bastille, AJ Tracey, Kaytranada and GoldLink.^[7]

Singles

The first single from the album, "Heartline", was released on 14 September 2017, and peaked at 24 in the UK. The second single, "I Know You", featuring the British band Bastille, was released on 23 November 2017, and was commercially more successful than his recent singles, peaking at five in the UK.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	56/100[8]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Clash	6/10[10]
MusicOMH	[11]
NME	[12]
Pitchfork	5.5/10[13]
PopMatters	5/10[14]
Under the Radar	3/10[15]

The Time Is Now received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 56 based on 12 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[8]

Commercial performance

The Time Is Now reached number two on the UK Albums Chart, debuting with sales of 16,874 copies, behind the soundtrack of The Greatest Showman.^[16]

Tour

David embarked on a tour and made appearances at music festivals around England, the United States, the Middle East and Europe to promote the album.^[17]

Track listing

Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Magic"	Craig David Tre Jean-Marie Ed Drewett	Tre Jean-Marie	2:52
2.	"Heartline"	David Guy James Robin Sam Romans	Jonas Blue	3:12
3.	"Brand New"	David Steve McCutcheon	Steve Mac	2:44
4.	"Going On"	David Drewett Fraser Thorneycroft-Smith Tyrell "169" Paul Josiah Dixon	Fraser T Smith	3:24
5.	"Love Me Like It's Yesterday"	David Rachel Furner Thorneycroft-Smith Tyrell Paul	Fraser T Smith	3:32
6.	"For the Gram"	David Raoul Lionel Chen	Diztortion	3:54
7.	"Get Involved" (featuring JP Cooper)	David Jean-Marie John Paul Cooper	Tre Jean-Marie	3:09
8.	"I Know You" (featuring Bastille)	David Dan Smith Thorneycroft-Smith Helen "Carmen Reece" Culver	Fraser T Smith	3:34
9.	"Live in the Moment" (featuring GoldLink)	David Jean-Marie D'Anthony Carlos Louis Celestin David Bendeth Robert Boyer	Kaytranada Tre Jean-Marie^[a]	3:06
10.	"Love Will Come Around"	David Josiah Dixon Thorneycroft-Smith Tyrell Paul	Fraser T Smith	3:14
11.	"Somebody Like Me" (featuring AJ Tracey)	David Ché Grant Jacob Manson	Blonde	2:54
12.	"Focus"	David Furner Thorneycroft-Smith Tyrell Paul	Fraser T Smith	2:56
Total length:				38:31

Deluxe edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"Reload" (with Chase & Status)	David Will Kennard Saul Milton	Chase & Status	3:10
14.	"Talk to Me"	David Jean-Marie Talay Riley	Tre Jean-Marie	3:55
15.	"Talk to Me, Pt. II" (featuring Ella Mai)	David Jean-Marie Riley Ella Mai Nosa Obasohan	Tre Jean-Marie Nosaapollo	3:22
Total length:				48:58

Japanese edition bonus tracks^[18]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Armour"	David Jean-Marie Talay Riley	Tre Jean-Marie	3:31
17.	"Heartline" (acoustic)	David Guy James Robin Sam Romans	Fraser T Smith	3:12
18.	"I Know You" (acoustic; featuring Bastille)	David Dan Smith Thorneycroft-Smith Helen "Carmen Reece" Culver	Fraser T Smith Tobie Tripp Dan Smith Sophie Gledhill	3:58
Total length:				59:39

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a vocal producer.

Personnel

Credits adapted from album’s liner notes.^[19]

• Mark Asari – backing vocals (tracks 9, 14), chant vocals (track 1)
• Jonas Blue – producer and mixing (track 2)
• Raoul Chen – producer, engineer, mixing, backing vocals, drum programming, and instruments (track 6)
• Wez Clarke – mixing (tracks 1, 3, 7, 14, 15)
• JP Cooper – vocals (track 7)
• Craig David – vocals (all tracks)
• Ed Drewett – chant vocals (track 1)
• Phebe Edwards – backing vocals (tracks 4, 5, 12)
• Lauren Faith – backing vocals (track 4)
• Rachel Furner – backing vocals (track 12)
• GoldLink – vocals (track 9)
• Manon Grandjean – engineer (tracks 4, 5, 8, 10, 12)
• Stuart Hawkes – mastering (all tracks)
• Tre Jean-Marie – producer (tracks 1, 7, 14, 15); vocal production, vocal mixing, and background vocals (track 9); chant vocals (track 1)
• Kaytranada – producer and mixing (track 9)
• William Kennard – producer, mixing, instrumentation, and programming (track 13)
• Chris Laws – engineer, drums, and percussion (track 3)
• Tim Laws – guitar (track 3)
• Colin Lester – executive producer
• Andy Mac – talkbox (track 14)
• Steve Mac – producer and keyboards (track 3)
• Rob MacFarlane – engineer (tracks 8, 13)
• Ella Mai – vocals (track 15)
• Jacob Manson – producer, engineer, mixing, guitar, keyboards, and drum programming (track 11)
• Brandon Michael – chant vocals (track 1)
• Saul Milton – producer, mixing, instrumentation, and programming (track 13)
• Nosaappollo – producer (track 15)
• Tyrell "169" Paul – producer (tracks 4, 10, 12), drum programming (tracks 4, 10)
• Dann Pursey – engineer (track 3)
• Carmen Reece – backing vocals (track 8)
• Sillkey – additional production (track 14)
• Dan Smith – vocals (track 8)
• Fraser T Smith – producer, mixing, keyboards, and drum programming (tracks 4, 5, 8, 10, 12); guitar (tracks 4, 10)
• AJ Tracey – vocals (track 11)

Charts

Chart performance for The Time Is Now

Chart (2018)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[20]	43
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21]	77
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[22]	128
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[23]	91
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24]	56
French Albums (SNEP)[25]	157
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26]	97
Irish Albums (IRMA)[27]	53
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[28]	97
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[29]	91
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[30]	2
Scottish Albums (OCC)[31]	9
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[32]	47
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[33]	75
UK Albums (OCC)[34]	2
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[35]	1

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[36]	Silver	60,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history and formats for The Time Is Now

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label
United Kingdom	26 January 2018	CD Digital download streaming	Speakerbox Insanity Sony

References

1. Beta, Andy (25 January 2018). "Craig David: The Time Is Now Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
2. Hodgkinson, Will (26 January 2018). "Pop review: Craig David: The Time is Now". The Times. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
3. "BBC – Radio 1 – Playlist". BBC Radio 1. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
4. "Craig David releases new single 'Heartline' and announces new album and tour". NME. 15 September 2017.
5. "Craig David Releases New Single 'Heartline', Announces New Album 'The Time Is Now'". Capital XTRA. 15 September 2017.
6. Kelly, Emma (15 September 2017). "Craig David announces seventh album and drops brand new single". Metro. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
7. Renshaw, David (15 September 2017). "Craig David Announces New Album The Time Is Now". The FADER. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
8. "Reviews for The Time Is Now by Craig David". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
9. Kellman, Andy. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
10. Rivers, Joe (22 January 2018). "Clash Magazine Review". Clash. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
11. Hogwood, Ben (26 January 2018). "MusicOMH Review". MusicOMH. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
12. Cooper, Leonie (2 February 2018). "NME Review". NME. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
13. Beta, Andy (25 January 2019). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
14. Schiller, Mike (26 February 2018). "PopMatters Review". PopMatters. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
15. Moayeri, Lily (6 February 2018). "Under the Radar Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
16. Myers, Justin (2 February 2018). "The Greatest Showman denies Craig David a third Number 1 album". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
17. "Craig David Tour 2018". craigdavid.com. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
18. "CDJapan : The Time Is Now Craig David CD Album". cdjapan.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 31 January 2018.
19. The Time Is Now (booklet). Speakerbox, Insanity, RCA. 2018.
20. "Australiancharts.com – Craig David – The Time Is Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
21. "Ultratop.be – Craig David – The Time Is Now" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
22. "Ultratop.be – Craig David – The Time Is Now" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
23. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 05.Týden 2018 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
24. "Dutchcharts.nl – Craig David – The Time Is Now" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
25. "Lescharts.com – Craig David – The Time Is Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
26. "Offiziellecharts.de – Craig David – The Time Is Now" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
27. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Craig David". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
28. "Craig David". Oricon. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
29. "The Time Is Now on Billboard Japan Hot Albums". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 September 2020.
30. "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 5 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
31. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
32. "Spanishcharts.com – Craig David – The Time Is Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
33. "Swisscharts.com – Craig David – The Time Is Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
34. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
35. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
36. "British album certifications – Craig David – The Time Is Now". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 January 2025.