Idol 9 - David Archuleta

9. David Archuleta

Season 7, Runner-up

Wow! After nearly four months, we are down to single digits!! 

I pretty much loathe the teenage boys, there I said it! Haha. Throughout the first 6 seasons, every teenage boy that made it to the Top 12 has been pretty worthless - as far as vocal talent goes. Every single one of them made it further than they deserved - maybe because of the "cute" factor. So, when I learned about David Archuleta as a possible Top 24 contestant of Season 7, I was groaning.

Seriously. Can you blame me for assuming the worst? Out of 100 contestants, the second highest placing teenage boy was at number 89, with Aaron Kelly! Haha. They suck. But I knew David actually had some vocal talent - he was a Star Search finalist, for crying out loud - and he was especially cute. So, I was somehow excited to watch him, and knew that he'd be around for.ev.er. Ha! Oh, and this was before they even aired his audition.

Now, when the San Diego episode aired and I got to see Archuleta's audition, I was pleasantly surprised. Quite frankly, I wasn't blown away, but he was definitely someone that I could be happy with making the Top 24 of the season, and doing slightly well. Then, he performed Heaven during Hollywood week and declared myself a fan.

So, when the Top 24 started, I was already rooting for him. He performed Shop Around and I instantly knew there was no stopping this kid. The next week, he delivered a heartfelt rendition of Imagine and the competition - that time - was over. Ha! That performance, I believe, made him pretty untouchable for the rest of the season. I had seriously never been so positive that a contestant had the whole thing wrapped up, like I was with little David.

He turned in a couple of outstanding performances after that and I actually enjoyed most of his performances. It was extremely frustrating though at times when he would completely butcher a performance like, say, We Can Work It Out, and still get almost positive reviews from the judges. Plus, I never really thought he sold an upbeat number.

I have to admit though that the kid have a great tone. I mean, at the beginning I thought he was extremely stage school and over-rehearsed, but as the competition continues he'd do very slight things on the melody of the song that would win me over. Every time he would sing a run that had an ounce of soul behind it, he earned respect in my book. There was a bit of inconsistency with David Archuleta's performances though, and I do think we saw the best of him during the second week of the semifinals round, but other than that, he seemed to SLOWLY improve during the competition.

I had no problem with him making the Top 2. I actually thought he did pretty stellar during the Finale and I would be fine with him beating David Cook since Simon Cowell almost crowned him as the winner when he said it was a knockout in favor of little David. I'd get over it. But, personally, an Archuleta win - at that moment - would've been a less than satisfactory ending for one of the best seasons on American Idol. That's just me though. Ha!

Now, David Archuleta's career after Idol has been relatively good. His debut album was surprisingly a solid effort with a huge hit single, Crush. However, it was his second album, The Other Side Of Down, that made me really appreciate him more as a recording artist. I thought that album was leaps and bounds better than his self-titled album.

Album Review: The Other Side Of Down

Favorite performance(s): Truth be told, when he sang Imagine, I was speechless. Some people saw that performance as a bit overrated, but I do not agree AT ALL. To me, it's one of the best Idol performances EVER. I mean, every single phrasing worked perfectly well with the beautiful subdued arrangement. It was practically sensational. I really loved the vibe of his Stand By Me performance and I thought David definitely has the best version of Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me. I also thought his rendition of Robbie Williams' Angels was stellar.

Imagine

Stand By Me

Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

Angels

Crush

A Little Too Not Over You

Something 'Bout Love

Album Review: The Other Side Of Down - David Archuleta

Let me go straight to the point: The Other Side Of Down is seriously a solid sophomore album for David Archuleta.

Now, I'm definitely loving the newer sound. While I liked the first album, I’m loving the newer mature sound of David. Yes, it still has that usual bubblegum pop vibe that was somewhat carried over to this sophomore effort, but I think he has truly grown in maturity with his new album.

The album, I must say, is surprisingly diverse and yet, at the same time, coherent. He still has that youthful sound but, at the same time, is able to allow enough maturity this time around. I also think that this sophomore effort achieves a really good balance between the vibe of a singer-songwriter and the usual mid-tempo to upbeat production sound that is, arguably, popular today.

You know what? I'm just really happy for David.

Here's my track-by-track review:  

A surprisingly unique sound for David. Frankly, I'm a little perplexed with this track. I mean, a part of me thinks that this would have made a much more radio-friendly single than, say, Something 'Bout Love because it's different for someone like Archuleta and I kind of like the bouncy vibe in the verses. But, some part of the song - especially the chrous part - really annoys me. I don't know.  7/10

This one has radio hit potential. Sure, it's a little too overproduced with all the auto-tunes and whatnot but that's what works on pop music nowadays, so I'm not surprised. It is a catchy song, with great hook and incredible production. Oh, and the bridge took me by surprise. Seriously. I like that he uses his range in this song. 8/10

Say what you want about Elevator, but I really like it. Ha! Now, if I'm being honest, the first time I heard this track I said that this can't be seriously in his album because it reminded me so much of that hi ho hi ho song by the seven dwarfs. Haha. But after a few subsequent listen, I kind of warmed up to it. I think it's very cleverly written, both as a metaphor and just as a song - word choice, syntax rhythm, consistency in theme. I also think that it's fun, catchy and it felt like a little roller coaster of a song. 9/10

One of the strongest tracks on the album. At first, I thought it would be like an angst-y song - based from the lyrics - but the melody and vocals from him make it sound like a bubblegum pop type of song, which shockingly works for me. The verses are better than the chorus, but maybe that's just me nitpicking. This, to me, is probably one of the biggest potential hit in the album. 9/10

Just like the other tracks, this one has a bouncy and hook-y melody. That said, this song just doesn't really do anything for me. I'm also not particularly keen with the different voices in the verses. Possibly one of those songs that I wouldn't necessarily skip over but it wouldn't make me repeat it for a second listen as well. 6/10

I can easily picture this track as part of a TV series' or a movie soundtrack. The melody and the production of this song is lovely. Yes, the lyrics aren't it's strongest suit but, good thing, everything else about it is great. His voice, especially on his lower register and his falsetto in this song is quite gorgeous. 8/10

I heard the live version of this song from David and I was somehow on the fence with it as his voice sounded almost hoarse singing the high notes. However, the studio version completely changed my opinion of the song. The production is actually pretty good and, somehow, takes it to a whole new level. I wonder though if this would've been better if it was sped up just a bit. As for the vocals, I love the soft rise and fall of David’s voice. 8/10

This reminds me of his song Your Eyes Don't Lie from his first album. Totally annoying at first listen but somehow along the way made me a fan of the track. Yes, I barely finished this song and thought that this would be the one track that I would end skipping. But guess which song gets stuck in my head after listening to the whole record? Yup, this one. Ha! Possibly one of my favorite tracks. This song is absurdly catchy, which reminds me a bit of both Owl City and Imogen Heap - just listen to the first tens seconds of the the song. 9/10

It's interesting that the beginning of the verses sounds exactly like Crush. Is that intentional? Maybe. Does it matter? Absolutely not because this song, I believe, is one of the best tracks on the album. It may seem a little generic in terms of its structure but this song is to die for. It's simple, hauntingly beautiful and surprisingly powerful. His vocals just spill over on the lyrics like a series of massages. Ha! Oh, and the bridge and the last chorus makes this song even more impressive. 10/10

This definitely grew on me. Not the best in the album, but it's definitely a good track. Very soulful, bluesy, and clearly has that John Mayer sort of feel to it. The melody is marginally different from the rest of the tracks and it does have some classic pop harmonic structure in the chorus that I just can't resist. Somehow, the song also sounds a little bit country to me - I don't know if it's just me though. 8/10

Frankly, I'm liking it a bit more than I did but the track just strikes me as one big cliche. Sure, it's decent but I just can't really get into it as much as I'd hope. Now, if they tweak this song a little, I could see this being an Idol exit song - it does have the inspirational kind of vibe obviously. 6/10

EPIC! This song is gorgeous!! Stunning vocals with so much emotion! His strong full-bodied voice is always in front and center and it never got overpowered by the instrumentations. You see, I love a distinct piano presence in a song and this is a perfect and heart breaking example of simple but powerful recording. Pure. Soft. Unadulterated. It is beauty, rawness and simplicity at its finest. 10/10



I have to say, this sophomore record of Archuleta does hold together very cohesively from start to finish with each song highlighting another side of his voice. It is actually interesting that he maximized his falsetto and higher register compared to his debut album. Anyway, the fluidity of the songs is spot on and it seems to me that each track have its own distinct melody. I don't feel like I'm listening to the same song over and over again, but I don't feel like I'm listening to 5 different albums either.

Suffice it to say, whatever happens with his sophomore effort, I think it’s a fantastic album and I do believe it's far superior than his last album. Nothing more, nothing less.

RATING: 8.2/10

Album: The Other Side Of Down - David Archuleta

Here's David Archuleta's sophomore album entitled, The Other Side Of Down. All I can say is that I'm fairly impressed with this latest effort from him. Anyway, I'll be writing a tack-by-track review, which will be posted after the Glee episode tomorrow. For the meantime, enjoy!

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1. The Other Side Of Down

2. Something 'Bout Love

3. Elevator

4. Stomping The Roses

5. Who I Am
6. Falling Stars

7. Parachutes and Airplanes

8. Look Around

9. Good Place

10. Complain

11. Things Are Gonna Get Better

12. My Kind Of Perfect

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Music: Elevator - David Archuleta

I didn't see this one coming. Apparently, Jive Records sent this track to radio a few days ago, calling it the first single from his upcoming sophomore album The Other Side Of Down. Interesting. So, we’ll just pretend Something ‘Bout Love didn’t happen? Haha.

Hmm. I'm kind of on the fence with this song. I think it's catchy and the acoustic version is so Jason Mraz-y. But, if I'm being honest, the first time I heard this track I said that this can't be seriously in his album because it reminded me so much of that hi ho hi ho song by the seven dwarfs. Haha. Although after a few subsequent listen, I kind of warmed up to it. It is very different from the usual Archuleta stuff, which is a good thing. Also, I think it's very cleverly written, both as a metaphor and just as a song - word choice, syntax rhythm, consistency in theme. That was my first impression - that it was very clean, very simple, and very well-written song. Fun, catchy and it felt like a little roller coaster of a song. Enjoy!

LISTEN:

Music Video: Something 'Bout Love - David Archuleta

Well, here it is! David Archuelta's debut single off his sophomore album, The Other Side of Down, which will be released on October 5, 2010.

I love the simplicity of the video and the fact that David here is telling the story in the background - plus, he looks great. I think the video is pretty much a cross between his Crush and A Little Too Not Over You music videos. That said, this one felt more mature than the other two videos. It's fine, about what I expected.

Music: Something 'Bout Love - David Archuleta

Here it is!! The full length preview of David Archuleta’s new single, Something ‘Bout Love. This will be his debut single off his sophomore album and the track will be out on iTunes July 20, 2010.

Well, I don't think this will be as big as Crush, but it has radio hit potential. Sure, it's a little too overproduced with all the auto-tunes and whatnot but that's what works on pop music nowadays, so I'm not surprised. It is a catchy song, with great hook and incredible production. Oh, and the bridge took my by surprise. Seriously. I like that he uses his range in this song.

I'm not so sure if the track is bubblegum pop but this is right in the wheelhouse of the electronica/dance pop genre that is being played now - see: Ke$ha, Gaga, Lambert - and the biggest surprise is that David Archuleta is actually killing it.. Who would have thought? Haha.

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