Craig David, The Rose Bowl, Southampton.

AFTER a day of personal appearances and countless interviews - not to mention that this was the last date of a huge UK tour - Craig David would have been forgiven for putting on a half-hearted performance at the Rose Bowl.

But his intimate acoustic set was definitely slicker - and a lot better - than your average.

In a 45-minute set to 500 ticket winners - as well as VIPs including James Beattie, Gordon Strachan, Craig's mum and old friends - Craig proved that he's one of the most talented musical artists around and demonstrated why he is, and always will be, at the top of his game.

While many singers can't even cope with singing live let alone without the help of a huge backing band and a few sound effects, Craig David was note-perfect throughout whether he was singing ballads or beat-boxing.

With just an acoustic guitar backing him, Craig worked his way through all his hits, several of which he adapted for the night, mentioning the Holyrood estate where he grew up in several songs as well as rapping and beat-boxing, which caused the crowd to burst into spontaneous applause.

Two of the highlights of the evening were fantastic versions of Spanish and Rise and Fall.

Craig also proved he can talk as well as he can sing, explaining the poignant background to the song World Filled With Love which was inspired by the events of September 11.

Forget the return of the prodigal son - when it comes to fantastic homecomings, nobody can beat Craig David.