The Star of the Pro Bowl

What amazes me about David, amongst other things, is his ability to perform when it matters. To lay it all on the line at the big occasion, to not crumble or fall apart under pressure but to rise above it and take control of the spectacle. The Idol finale, AI tour conclusion in Tulsa and now this. A collosal spectacle with David center stage with a flag rolling in behind him over the crowd, helecopters flying overhead and gunshots ringing into the air combined with thousands in the stadium and millions watching at home. Never has the stage been so big but David rises up, grasps it and takes it on like his life depends on it.

One of the things I like about the Star Spangled Banner is its patriotism inspiration and strong anthemic factor. Its a song with massive chill potential, even for a non-american. David imbues his take with subletey, soul and passion nailing every note with confidence in a situation where confidence could so easily be lacking. He hasnt got the sheer size and volume of Jennifer Hudsons equivelent from a week or 2 earlier, but Davids musical instinct and ability to 'chill' with melodic and tasteful twists and turns levels it up in my eyes. A huge chunk of credit has to be given to whoever got David this gig (AzOff im assuming), this is what will make people remember that name, David Archuleta.

So what we are left with, is the voice and the spectacle. Never has David sounded better and never have I heard a more satisfying rendition of one of the most recognisable tunes in history.

Somebody out There, Somebody Somewhere?

Some of you may recognise the work of FSteven, a very talented graphic artist. He has produced work similar to this before but this picture wins it for me hands down. I think its absolutely stunning. The beautiful lyrics wrapped around a picturesque landscape combined with David at the bottom sitting in the grass holding a guitar just oozes class, finesse and beauty. Great job. I have also drawn some inspiration to actually write a little bit about this track. Ive been really wanting to write something about this song for ages but I always felt like I didnt really know it well enough - I hadn't learned it, I didnt know any background of it but now I think I do. I really wanted to have the song fully digested in my mind. This song is my favorite of the 17 tracks that were released on November 11th. It is evidence of a fact that great artists like The Beatles proved so well, sometimes simplicity is the best. Less is often more.

The first thing struck me about this track was the refreshingly cleanliness of its sound and simplicity of its arrangement. A couple of acoustic guitars, some small maraca like percussion, a very subtle bass guitar and the small interjection of some strings to add some atmosphere. No big production, no synth. Just a voice and an accompaniment - the way David was intended to be. In an interview with Snarky Archies, co writer of this song Mike Krompass talked about how this song was written, how effortless and quick a writing session was. How he started with a guitar riff idea and how David just came out with the opening melodic idea practically straight away. That is often the way with song writing, you get a great idea and you just run with it, the rest just comes flooding in. I can definitly hear that fluency here in this song. The verse effortlessly flows into the chorus and eventually resolves on a beautiful major lift back into the next verse and the bridge slots in beautifully adding a different colour whilst maintaining the emotional and rhythmical core of the song. That is how all great bridges are. It is just a beautifully constructed song and coincidentally enough I too thought it sounded like Extreme's classic 'More Than Words' on first listen which Mike later said as well in his interview.

I challenge you people to think of any other Pop artist in the Billboard charts today who you think could pull off this song, or a song like this, vocally as well as David. Chris Brown? Ne-Yo? No chance. The depth of his singing in this song is quite amazing (a glimpse of his true potential, dare i bring out the G word) The open resonance of his voice, the dynamic control and the way he annunciates words and phrases to convey what the lyrics are really describing, well, I could probably talk about every single line here. Instead, I will give you a few of my favorites. From the smooth and tender 'its worth it when you smile' to the intense and yearning 'It doesnt have to hurt you forever' and 'when worries control you' on the last chorus. This song takes you on a ride from the beautiful, tender and romantic first verse through into the intense and yearning second verse whilst still dropping in those soft moments as he describes the person hes singing about it. Such amazing attention to the aesthetics of the lyrical content and how to build it up, bring it back down, climax it and then end it by capturing the beauty, yearning and romance all at the same time. He isnt just singing a song hes telling a story, expressing emotions and feelings. I truly believe in what hes singing and who hes singing it for. But again, as always with David its subtle. You really have to listen to take notice of these things but they always have an effect on you, subconciously. Everytime I listen to this song, no matter where it is, how many people are around, I always tear up inside a little. If you really concentrate on it, the effects can be quite amazing. The other thing I love about this song is the clarity of Davids voice in it. His soft and wholesome mid tone for the verse and then his higher but slightly restrained voice for the chorus moving into his falsetto/headvoice for the major lift. Effortless control throughout.

I liken this song very much to the Love Me Tender performance. I think its a pretty special track and im so glad that it didnt get thrown on the scrap pile but I am perplexed as to how a song of this quality didnt make it to the final CD (I prefer it to both You Can and To Be With You). Who knows what other gems could be out there? The thing I find most encouraging though is the fact David wrote it. All the songs he was involved in writing show a great attention to melody and lyrical content and the Bonus tracks give us a glimpse of David as a true artist. Songwriting takes practise too, if this is only 1 of his first attempts at songs like this, who knows what future songs could be like? I can't wait to find out.

Happy New Year!

Just a quick post to say Happy New Year to everyone. Its been an amazing 2008, a year I wont forget and a year David will not be forgetting quickly either. From the beginning with the audition in San Diego to the first performance of Imagine, through to the 'knock-out' Finale and then onto amazing success with the tour, platinum selling Crush and now the album going Gold in 6 weeks and the immanent release of 'A Little Not to Over You', 2008 has been a year to remember and 2009 looks set to be another step forward for David as his career continues.

Best Wishes to you all and Happy New Year!

A Little to Not Over You - The Video

Davids second single is a winner. The song is great and now the video is a slam dunk too. The biggest triumph of this video is it reveals the sides of David that people love. On the one hand we have the goofy, fun and very personable David messing around and chilling out with his partner and a group of friends just like his real life persona but then as a stark juxtaposition, we move into the intense, emotional and deeply romantic side of David which is exploited with his singing. I think this video is a much representation of David as a person and an artist than the Crush video. The general feel and look of the video is more visually intriguing and artistic and the chemistry between the David and the female lead, although possibly diluted, is genuine and and very likeable. I also like how the snapping of the photos is rhytmically suited and synchronised to the song. A nice touch.

David really does have those long camera gazes down to a tee now. That divine Archu-gaze is one that will strike a chord with many a heart and he pulls it off really, really well. He captures the emotion and feeling of the song through his eyes better than most and his performance, physically, is improving day by day (check out the jingle ball videos, such a huge improvement).

Overall, a fantastic music video for David. The Crush MV, I only watched a handful of times but this one has already been repeated over and over again and probably will for some time to come. Its one of those MV's that I feel actually adds to the songs experiance, which can only be a good thing. Better production values combined with an artistic style, genuine chemistry and of course the diving Archu-gaze make this video a real winner.

An Early Christmas Present

First of all id like to apologize for the lack of activity around here! I been kinda busy but that will all change soon, I promise! In the meantime id like to present to you an absolutely incredible performance of 'O Holy Night' performed at a Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony in LA yesterday. It truly is divine. Sensitive yet powerful, commanding and emotional, quite astounding singing and it really highlights the improvement he has made in the 12 months since the last performance of 'O Holy Night' he did on his own (one of the first videos I ever saw of David!). This is David at his sensitive and resonant best. I had chills throughout my whole body at that last note.

I was completely blown away by this and so will you. It really is something quite special.

The Album - Chenson's review

The 11th of November 2008, the album is born. There should be some sort of national holiday put in place like Christmas to commemorate this glorious day. I'm just kidding but for us David Archuleta fans, especially those who have been there since Day #1, its the realization of the dream. The dream to finally hear an album of original music from the protege himself and the dream for David to hit the mainstream music market with his first album. Overall, all things considered, I'm very pleased with the album. Its actually turned out better than I truly expected it would. One of the flaws with the American Idol system is its desire to 'strike while the irons hot' but what you essentially end up with is a generic pick and mix bag of whatever songs were available at that particular point in time thus leading to stylistic disconnects, haphazard production and often very poor songs. There is no real meticulous artistry in any post-Idol album. We didn't really find out who Kelly Clarkson was until her second album. The whole thing is a stark reminder of the corporate production line that it all falls under eventually and David is no escaper of the problems with trying to make it post American Idol. However, I do think much to my pleasant surprise, they are a very good set of songs.

I genuinely like every song on the album. There are not a whole lot of albums that I can honestly say that about, but why do I like them? The more I take it all in the more I realise that its because of David that im enjoying it so much. David has always had this amazing ability to make me like any song he sings, often completely reversing my opinion of a particular song completely. What a testament to his talent that is and it begs the question - Will I ever dislike anything he sings? The song would have to be terrible. My point is, David has the ability to make something out of song that wasn't even there on creation, to add something new and different - 'Barriers' probably being the best example of this. Everyone has heard 'Imagine' before a billion times but why does his version have so much impact? Its that new dimension he brings. The emotion in the singing in the bridge of Barriers is one of the highlights of the whole album, it really is terrific. Having said all this, the highlights of the album are in the less conventional and generic tracks, the tracks the feel like they are different place to the rest of the album. 'Desperate' is one of the finest recorded vocal performances ive heard in a a very, very long time and is the strongest song on the standard album (Desmond Child wrote this one - no surprises as to why its good then). This song was originally recorded by German rockers 'Stanfour' and I listened to that track a fair amount of times since the discovery of this track but now, I simply cannot ever go back to that version, ever. I do think that Stanfour's arrangement and production is more organic and in keeping with the tone of the song and it is ultimately the same song but its David that makes it so special. That sense of Desperation combined with one of the finest vocal climaxes I can recall at the songs conclusion, David makes this song more than Desmond Child, Stanfour and anyone else ever dreamed it could be, even if it does have a slightly incongruous accompaniment. Truly epic and the gem to be treasured from this album. For such a kind and calm person, intensity is something David excels at. Other highlights include the super cool and original 'Your Eyes Don't Lie' and the stripped back melodic 'You Can' and 'To Be With You' and finally the fantastically constructed pop tune 'A Little to Not over You' which gets my vote for the next single even though I know its not going to be. Tracks such as 'My Hands' and the similarly named 'Touch My Hand' definitely sound like winners for the live stage and with a tour coming up next year, we shall finally be able to hear all this where its supposed to be - the live stage. The album is a cut above anything else of a similar generic placement in todays music and by quite some distance too. Jive seem to think teens and parents are the primary demographic here but heck, Davids primary demographic seems to be girl teens, boy teens, parents, young adults, old adults, musicians, grandma's, grandpa's, aunty's, uncles, dogs and maybe even cats as well. Music is music and great music transcends age. David transcends age.

The flaws of the album are flaws I was expecting. No surprises here. My main issue with the album is the production. Why surround a rare organic voice with synthesized sounds and awful synthesized drum beats? Davids voice has always been at its best when supported by simple and subtle arrangements with organic instruments, often acoustic. I think its no coincidence I much prefer Crush with a normal band he is touring the TV shows with than a synth drum backing. No matter what song David is singing, Davids voice needs to be prominent but I sense it is just being surrounded at times by a wall of sound, much like you would hear in a lot of current top 40 radio artists. The tracks that expose Davids tone the best are the tracks with the simple arrangements (You Can and To Be With You) and allow his voice to soar and his tone to fill our ears. This was an issue I expected to be greater than it actually is however the nice variety and the fact there are some tracks where we get to hear David properly is comforting and refreshing. In an attempt by the label to make it appealing to the younger generation, they have sacrificed some of Davids quality at times but again, I can't say I wasnt expecting this.

The stock album with its good set of songs combined with 'Angels' and the hit 'Crush' combined with Davids exceptional vocal ability is an album I will be enjoying for some time but make no mistake, it is David that makes this album what it is. As much as I shall be listening to it, it is still a victim of corporate intervention and we only get to see glimpses of Davids artistry despite the songs all being amiable enough (The real artistry is in the bonus tracks which I shall post a separate review for). With a successful first album under his belt, im hoping David will be given the space to make the next album his own. Ive said it before, if David gets the space to write his own songs, craft it in the way he wants it without major label intervention, its the second album that is the one to watch.

David on Jay Leno

David appeared on the coveted Tonight Show last night to perform his hit single Crush which has now sold well over 800,000 copies and will hit platinum well before the end of the year. The first thing ill say about this performance is it a whole lot better than his first performance at Ford Day. More vocal control, poise and confidence. He also seemed alot more comfortable fronting a band rather than singing to a backing track, which is of course understandable. The other comment I would make is how much better 'Crush' sounds with a real band as opposed to synth drums and bass but ill talk about this more when I publish my album review.

Overall, it was a very fine performance. A little shaky at first but he held his pitch and exploded into the chorus with great confidence. His performances look far more polished, professional and poised these days. He really has come on so much since American Idols conclusion, gone is the slight awkwardness. He seems effortlessly comfortable in front of the camera now.C rush is deceptively hard song to sing and David did a fine job but the fact is, hes always a class act. Easily one of the best performances ive seen on the Tonight Show.

Enjoy!