David Archuleta – Full Preview of the New Album – Listen Now!

Dammit, I had just pulled myself away from Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopolus and just had to wander and find this ….. I was going to post the info here…..listening now and so far what I can say is that by now means is Crush the best song on this cd…..

i think this album is very different, and yet david promised to deliver, and deliver he did. i think there are several songs that are serious threats to be huge hits!! my person favorite is “Desperate” because its haunting and shows archie’s more serious side. I really can’t choose a favorite though!!! GRAMMY!!!

For tracking purposes, I made note of the sales rankings as they currently stand…

17 Crush — iTunes (based on iTunes RSS feeds)
84 Angels — iTunes (based on iTunes RSS feeds)
21 Deluxe Album à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ iTunes Store

07 Crush à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ iTunes Pop song (based on iTunes RSS feeds)
24 Angels à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ iTunes Pop song (based on iTunes RSS feeds)
06 Deluxe Album, Pop à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ iTunes Store

12 Crush à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ Amazon MP3
09 Crush à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ Amazon MP3 > Pop
19 Album à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ Amazon Music
15 Album à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ Amazon Music > Pop
06 Album à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ Amazon Music > Pop > Vocal Pop

Notes:
1. Where available, I used the iTunes RSS feeds data since it is more up to date than the iTunes store rankings.
2. Angels is not available for sale at Amazon.

*DEAD* omg this thing is almost too good…my heart cant take it…archie oh archie, you are sooo frikin TALENTED!!

i know!!!!! desperate!!!! you eyes dont lie!!! touch my hands!!!

BARRIERS!!!

To Be With You makes me cry. Wah! The yearning in his voice. Gah!

Not a bad song on this album. He is even better than I thought, and he had me at Shop Around. Your Eyes Don’t Lie is KILLER. Simply Amazing.

David Archuleta has left the building.

He’s using the falsetto all over the place. Thank you Mariah Carey! And I’m loving the new lower register.

Wow. I thought the 30-second snippets were pretty good, but after hearing the whole songs, I’ve changed my mind–this album is quite excellent. I agree with ggdoorsfan, there’s not a bad song on this album at all. In fact, I will likely be listening to every single song…repeatedly.

And yes, that falsetto kills.

I was afraid of the whistling in Your Eyes and thought it was hoaky on the clip but it works! Barriers is so unique.. it HAS to be the second single. The way he sings that last running in running.. His vocals in .. well everything..

I actually think there are a lot of songs that are stronger than Crush (although I lurve Crush), but this album completely exceeded my expectations. The arrangements are unique, his vocals are AMAZING, and the songs just pulled me in. I really love it.

it is fantastic..the clips did not do the songs justice. You Can is beautiful!
Every song is just so good! Can’t wait for the bonus tracks…….

Dear David,

I can honestly say that your new album will not become intimately acquainted with the skip button on my player.

Love,

Me

Officially I love ALL songs! haha..lol… I cannot pick one song. haha…David, again, exceeded my expectations, imaginations or whatever. David’s voice is just amazing. I’m so proud of David. Good job!!! :clap_tb:

MJ…. You do know what a thumbs up from you means to an Archie? :jittery_tb:
It’s gonna be a D___N good year!!!!!!!!!!

:clap_tb:

Tonight Your Eyes is my favorite, after You Can of course. It’s so damn funky! I am trying to figure out what it reminds me of…..it’s awesome. Sings his freaking ass off!

Before everyone else chimes in later on today, I think it’s an incredible debut cd. He kicks some butt and takes names too.

It’s a totally eclectic cd, and I see the diversity for sure. I totally love it. Some songs are so much stronger than I garnered from the clips.

WOW, amazing…can’t wait ….goose bump all over listening to YOU CAN…only one song i don’t really like is barrier.

Oh man first Obama then this?! I don’t think I’m ever sleeping tonight! I’m too excited!

I think this is one of the better Idol-related debut albums I’ve heard. Those clips did not do many of those songs justice. There’s only one track that I’m still not crazy about after hearing the full version (Don’t Let Go). Well done Archie-this album has certainly exceeded my expectations. :thumbup_tb:

Is that rumor true that the President-elect’s daughters voted for David? :king_tb:

I think so. *crosses fingers he’ll be invited to perform in the inauguration* :)

Mr Critic – I’ve been thinking for a while now David might be asked to sing at the inauguration if Obama wins. Just a feeling…

About the album – OMG! The thing that kills me is that the two songs I liked the least from the snippets – BARRIERS and YOUR EYES DON’T LIE – are now two of my favorites!! hee hee hee!! They both have such a funky beat and David’s singing, gah – David is a funky white boy!!

Yes, and President-Elect Obama’s daughters DID vote for David A! :mrgreen_wp:

OMG I’m speechless!

Much much better than I expected. I didn’t get you can and don’t let go from that 30 sec clip, but now just no words to describe how amazing David sounds. Each song is unique. Of course my favourites are still Barriers, gosh the last part David sounds almost like crying while singing it, so much emotions coming through. Desperate! is awesomeeeee! To be with you, very bautiful, again, his voice blends so beautifully with Kara. Your eyes, that whistling and background sound effect are unique. Another song I didn’t quite get in that short preview was Running, the full song is amazing! I like all of them, which doesn’t happen often with albums. David’s low notes, falsetto and the way he sang Desperate and Don’t Let Go is a revelation. Very proud of you David Archuleta. A solid album and with good promo, it will do well imo. thumbs up.

His amazing voice of course shines through.

A happy fan :D

oh my goodness, this is exciting! on the downside, I am at work….therefore I cannot listen to it yet! but i’m loving everyone’s comments, makes me sooo excited to listen! i get off work at 7:30 a.m….i just need to make it a few more hours, lol!!!

i tried to open the link, it won’t work. juz like cook’s LO MV yesterday, it won’t play outside US. is there any other link?

Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s using the falsetto all over the place. Thank you Mariah Carey!

Jabkmc, what you said is so right on! And to think he was always afraid to use his falsetto up until Mariah came into his life. Count me in with those whose expectations have been exceeded. There are plenty of radio friendly songs here. The 3 songs that we got a minute and half previews of, sound so much better in full. I envision some of the songs being used for movie soundtracks. The two gentle ballads You Can and To Be With You are loverly and have such romantic lyrics. Luuuuurve them! David’s rendition of Desperate is haunting and reminiscent of his Apologize performances. And I liked how he mixed it up a bit with the funky beat and vocals in Barriers and in Your Eyes Don’t Lie. I’m loving the entire album! It’s full of hits. Two thumbs way up!! :thumbup_tb:

And, yes, I too heard that the whole Obama family are Archies! They better book him now for the inauguration before he ends up being committed for a tour venue on that day.

Dew, it wouldn’t work for me either at first. But then I switched from Firefox to Internet Explorer then it worked.

Guys, seriously, To be with you is truly awesome! it reminds me vaguely of “Don’t Know Much” that Linda Rostedt sp? with the guy that I don’t remember his name. sang.

Last comment: every song is addictive, like Crush. if you are a pop fan, you’ll like it.

Awesome album!

ouch! thanx ozarka!!! i did try open it via IE, it won’t work too. how sad!!! :frown_tb:
thanx btw.
how sad, really!!!

Aw shucks, can’t listen to the songs, I’m outside the US.

Heavily GUTTED.

MJack, try going to YouTube- Recent David Archuleta clips, they have downloaded full versions of each songs there!!!

Yeah all of it is on youtube for the international fans. I love it! Great first album Archie. So many hits on this album. You did it Archie, you hit a home run. I am so proud of him. I love love “To Be With You” and many others. Archie is such a perfectionist, his vocals soars throughout the whole album. Yeah the falsettos are amazing. I can see several of them as a second single but they may be picking “Touch My Hands”, I can see that.

“Running” is just beautiful… his voice is so very supple, and glides so effortlessly into that falsetto that should be trademarked…. He has exceeded all expectations I had for this first album….. throwing it out here, cause for me it’s evident after hearing him sing these original tunes – this young man is a musical and vocal prodigy for whom the future holds untold success.

After listening to this full album, it also becomes crystal clear how stifling the format of American Idol is/was for someone of his vocal caliber. Now that he has broken out beyond that bubble, the tiger won’t be leashed ever again.

PROUD OF YOU DAVID JAMES ARCHULETA.

THANKS JIVE FOR BELIEVING IN OUR “CROWN PRINCE”.

hahaha I knew this was going to leak when I went to bed… LOL

THese songs are awesome! The clips definately dont give you enough of the picture. Again falsetto and lower register are awesome. I heard a rather high falsetto in running. heh Pretzels(yedl) is way funky!

damn, Your Eyes Don’t Lie is so addictive, it’s so unique, it’s fast becoming my top fav.

Ok, I see this thread has become one great Archuleta party, which is fine. I’d like to weigh in with my opinion if I may, with a little more in depth analysis. I think David can handle it. I think the album over all is very good. I love some of the songs on the album, like many more, but a few need to grow on me yet.

His voice is terrifice on all of the tracks, very melodic and controlled, and his falsetto has definitely improved from when he was on tour. I was glad to hear that the breathing between phrases was much better, also.

I decided to place the songs in 3 tiers with tier 1 being songs that I personally love (may or not be chart busters). Tier 2 are songs that I like and think are very solid. Tier 3 are songs that I think are just Ok for one reason or another. Ok, here’s my list. It’s very possible that I’m not even close with what the general public as a whole feel about it. Oh, well, that can’t be helped.

Tier 1 in order of appearance on the album.
Crush (this one has been analyzed up and down and sideways, so I won’t comment on it)
Touch My Hand (every girl that was the tour will think this song is directed towards her)
You Can (overall is a great song, beautiful lyrics, gorgeous vocal tone, one of my three most favorite songs on the CD)
Desperate (his voice sounds much more mature on this track and I love the fact that it’s a bit edgier in overall tone)
To Be With You (beautiful ballad which showcases his voice, another one of my most favorite)
Your Eyes Don’t Lie (I think this should be the next single, this is the last of my three favorites, probably because of its upbeat tempo and overall sound, it’s different and will catch the attention of the listener)
Angels (classic)

Tier 2
A Little Not Too Over You (solid, but nothing that jumped out and grabbed me like the ones above)
Barriers (liked it for the most part, but I didn’t care for the echo effect).
Don’t Let Go (piano background was cool, but I thought his falsetto on this song wasn’t as strong as on the other tracks, but was a good song)

Tier 3
My Hands (this song didn’t appeal to me when I heard the snippets, and it still doesn’t. I’m not sure why.)
Running (nothing drew my attention in this song, just didn’t care for it)

To total it up, there are 7 that I love, 3 that I like, and 2 that don’t fall in the first two categories. ( I have difficulty saying I don’t like something that Archie sings, so I’ll leave it at that.) :wink1_tb:

Pretty good scorecard for his first effort. Go Archie!

ETA: In case you didn’t notice my name, besides liking Archie I’m also a huge David Cook fan. Please don’t throw any tomatoes at me. :)

I haven’t listened that closely, but I’ll give props to Jive’s A&R folks for doing a much better job at finding good songs overall for Archie compared to Jordin. Definitely a very, very solid pop record.

I’m still not liking the ballads (I just don’t go all ga-ga over Archie’s voice) but Barriers and Your Eyes Don’t Lie are definitely much better than I thought based on the 30 second clips. The beginning of “Your Eyes Don’t Lie” sounds like Blake’s “Know My Name” with whistling.

WNA. THanks for that more in depth overall view of the album. :) No tomatoes for you!

Okay, managed to listen to the songs. I’ll continue fantarding TBH ;) Some of them are killers and even if i wasn’t convinced to 2 of them after hearing the snippets, now I am.
David, Jive and all people involved in this record did an amazing job, congrats to them.

Won’t even mention how astonishing David’s voice is, the songs speak for themselves. :)

YOUR EYES DONT LIE……..would like to see Archie sing this live…complete with the bounce.

I am totally addicted to this CD. I flippin love all the songs

I think Jordin’s songs are much better or maybe I just like her r&b stuff better.
Crush def sounds like the best song. I like Barriers and haven’t listened to the last four so far. I like Archie but the album just seems meh to me so far.

The ballads and the uptempo tracks all flow together to form a very strong and cohesive album. From Crush to Angels all these songs fit. His vocals stand front and center in all tracks, no bells and whistles are ever needed for him to draw you in vocally…. the “cookie cutter pop album”, “bubblegum pop” label David has tried to be saddled with need not apply here… they’ve been retired. :)

This is a very cohesive, diverse auditory pleasure that covers all the bases in the fanbase…. he never oversold us, but promised a variety of songs and styles, and indicated that there would be something for all the fans on this debut – he and Jive have lived up to their word.

RV… lol Id love to see him do yedl live hahaha

I think Your eyes don’t Lie would make a strong next single, so would Barriers and Desperate. Then TMH and ALNTOY. Good luck Jive!

Can’t wait to see what’s in store for us when he hits Leno Thursday…. he could show up singing the phonebook, and it would chart the next day on Itunes… hahhahahhaha…..

Seriously, the dude was born to sing, and no way a talent like this can be denied… like cream, it just keeps rising to the top… David’s smashed and Crushed all Barriers to his inevitable ascent as a pop star… he’s not Running, or Desperate, he’s proven You Can achieve great things when you Don’t Let Go of your dreams. The Angels are A Little Too Not Over You, David. :happy_tb:

Very clever, ggdoorsfan….LOL.

What song came from Rock Mafia again? the one Archie had to reconsider? (for lack of a better term)

Your Eyes Don’t Lie, RV65

Thanks Aladdin88……….that was a good move on the part of Team Archie then!

Yep, it was YEDL, and after hearing the snippet I was like: this one sounds unusual. Full version totally convinced me, though.

He did a good job. The album plays to the teen fan base but has some tunes that older fans can relate to as well. He shows more versatility than when he was on AI. I am sure he will do very well with this. Congratulations Archie and Archie fans!

He shows more versatility than when he was on AI.

It just continues to highlight how confining Idol can be for singers like him… those of us who latched onto him after watching him in Hollywood week singing Heaven, and Top 24 week w/Shop Around knew there was more depth, more range, more versatility in his wheelhouse than the glimpses we got in those weekly 2 minute performances… he is proving to be very adept at smashing those preconceptions about his vocal prowess and appeal/marketability as a mainstream artist ….

I haven’t read anyone else’s comments because I wanted to post an unbiased review. I think it’s a great album. He done good. I hear several strong singles. Congrats to the Archies! I’ll post more later.

Wow. That voice. That voice! I thought he sounded great on AI, but this is just unbelievable. To Be With You is absolutely gorgeous. Don’t Let Go is another favorite, but it’s hard to decide; all of the songs are terrific!

I havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t read anyone elseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s comments because I wanted to post an unbiased review. I think ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a great album. He done good. I hear several strong singles. Congrats to the Archies! Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll post more later.

:wub_tb: :wub_tb:

As much as I already liked the 30 second snippets, this is even better. I didn’t really “get” running, but it is great.

Barriers is great. I love the echos at the beginning and end.

Desperate- haunting.

To be with you- one of the most beautiful love songs I have ever heard- maybe because of his voice and the emotion in it.

You eyes don’t lie- very funky.

I love them all and I will have to listen more times to decide which one should be the next single.

The falsetto is beyond amazing.

Listened to the whole thing, and I flove Desperate! The rest of it, I’ll have to process and re-listen to opine properly. Overall, I think there were a few others I liked, but none stood out like Desperate. Oh– I remember, Your Eyes Don’t Lie was cool too– a neat beat and surprisingly non-annoying/creative use of that whistling business. Go Archie!

Seriously, the dude was born to sing, and no way a talent like this can be deniedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ like cream, it just keeps rising to the topà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s smashed and Crushed all Barriers to his inevitable ascent as a pop starà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not Running, or Desperate, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s proven You Can achieve great things when you Donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t Let Go of your dreams. The Angels are A Little Too Not Over You, David.

LOL! ggdoorsfan, that was great. It’s so worth repeating!

LK08: You’re in Utah right? are people excited about DA’s album release?

oh heres a little election joke over at dailycomedy.com lol lol

“John McCain lost by a significant margin to Barack Obama.
In fact, McCain finished third in voting behind David Archuleta. ”

————-

Yedl is my musical crack.. lol

LOL Frogcooke! Now here’s a joke mentioning David that I find hilarious!!!! Poor McCain…. Crushed by a teenager! :tongue1_tb:

E, I AM in Utah. I know the Utah people on the fanboards are excited and the Utah fans from Fansofdavid fansite (all other fansites are welcome) is having a gathering on the 10th (started by family friend Brett or Richard) where there will be family friends and maybe some family members. After dinner, they are going to head to a nearby walmart to wait until midnight and the news will be there to film it all. I am going with my husband and 17 year old son, but I will NOT be heading up to Walmart- don’t want to be on the news.

As far as my neighbors, I haven’t “come out” as a total fangirl yet. It is SO unlike me (classically trained, over 7 congregations’ music, music teacher). I have have never been a fan of anyone. I talk about it a little and people aren’t necessarily aware of the album yet, but I think they will hear about it.

I have heard someone say that they are going to have Big David promotions and parties the night before the release at all of the walmarts. I heard that the news mentioned it also, so I am sure the word will get out.

I just heard from someone who got a look at the liner notes for David’s album, and of the 12 songs on the regular album, he co-wrote two of them: “A Little Too Not Over You” and “Don’t Let Go.”

Kara DioGuardi sings counterpoint/back up on “To Be With You,” the song she co-wrote, and JC Chasez sings background and plays piano on “Don’t Let Go.”

Thats cool MJ about JC.

Yeah he’s only got 2 co-written on the main album. The other ones he co-wrote and wrote are just bonus tracks on itunes and walmart. :)

Yeah heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s only got 2 co-written on the main album. The other ones he co-wrote and wrote are just bonus tracks on itunes and walmart. :)

I knew some of that was old news, but I just thought I’d put it out there. :).

I am so happy with this album! I like all of the songs!
Desperate – one of my favs, so haunting, love it! i love his lower register!

To Be With You – WOW, love Archie’s voice here, it is a beautiful song!

Running – didn’t like this one from the 30 sec clip…but after listening to the whole thing, i LOVE it!!

Barriers – so catchy!

Thanks for tossing it out there :) Not everyone is up to speed on that stuff lol

I didn’t know abuout JC singing and playing! That’s awesome!

OK, I got through the whole thing.

I really, really like “Don’t Let Go” and I like the music enough on “Your Eyes Don’t Lie,” to overlook the “People can be so jealous,” which even made my 10-yr old lol. It still manages to be a cool song somehow.

I think these two songs are good and interesting enough to make songs like “Archie’s Hands songs,” “Crush” and “A Little Too Not Over You” sound kind of silly. I can’t decide how I feel about “Barriers.” “Running” and “Desperate” sounded like uber-cheesy Euro pop to me. Do not want. I couldn’t really listen to those two. I like the vocal on this version of “Angels” but I’ve never liked that song. However, out of all of these, “Touch My Hands,” could become a guilty pleasure kind of song.

I also don’t want to listen to a teenager sing straightforward love ballads like “To Be With You” and “You Can,” although I guess I just don’t like those types of songs in general. I really don’t want to hear them from Archie, lol.

Overall, I guess I’ll be buying two or three songs. I still think it has a lot less musical wallpaper than Jordin’s album. Good job, Archie!

MJ- I thought I had heard it all, but I didn’t know JC was playing piano and backing him up on “Don’t Let go”.

Wow! Is all I can say….every one of your comments just about says it all for me.
David and Jive are a good mix. I agree, the snippets did nothing compared to the actual songs. I had no idea….every song is David perfection! To Be With You is the most beautiful ballad I’ve ever heard…..it’s stunning and yet simple! Can you imagine David singing this live?

According to Snarky Archies:

Looks like SLC Wal-marts are gonna have a huge shebang for bb D’s album release. CAKE. BALLOONS. CHAOS.

I ´m going nuts, because I can ´t hearto the songs in work…

But is nice to have an I love David Archuleta ´s album thread, after to much Cookie love this days, you know is true!!!!

Due to licensing restrictions, we are not able to allow access to the content you are requesting from outside the United States.

Can’t listen. :( Dang!

Alex Chilton (Box Tops lead singer, The Letter)… Gladys Knight…. the other MJ (HAHAHA), Stevie Wonder…. Steve Winwood…. short list of some successful singers who as teens were able to convincingly sing and sell a whole lotta songs about love, etc….. and how much richer the music world is for their contributions, at such a tender age…. age ain’t nothin’ but a number in the music bizz if you’ve got that elusive “it”…. They had “it”, as does David…. chronologically he’s 17…. the David we witnessed this summer on the tour stage, and the David singing on this album is anything but your “typical” 17 y/o….

Thumbs up for the talented youth of America! :thumbup_tb:

A couple bits of insider info:

Archiecrat from FOD talked to Jeff when David was in Pittsburgh recently for intereviews. she said about Jeff when talking about the album, “I’ll never forget the look in your eyes when you said to me à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“JUST WAITà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  .

Also, iluvlife,who is an insider (I saw this on Snarky Archies), said this about Angels:

FYI, I was able to have a conversation with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“someone very close to this songà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  who mentioned a few things that would likely be of interest to you and many of Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s other more analytical fans. From what I understand, Jeff had a lot more input with songs on this album than we have been led to believe. A very good example is this song. Supposedly DAvid and Jeff thought Jive was going to have the producer review some of the live performances from the tour so he had a really good idea of the level David had raised the song to and for him to realize that he really would have to step it up in order for the new album version to compete in fansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ minds with the live version. To their amazement, they found out that Jive gave the producer the Itunes version of Angels as the reference track rather than the one he had been singing on tour. Jeff was very surprised and concerned about that and suggested they redo the track from scratch but the label didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t allow it so he then lobbied to have them at least modify the existing one to better represent what they had in mind for the track from the start. That was a HUGE issue as there is no comparison between the quality of the 2 versions. (if someone can find the itunes version again for reference, it would be very interesting to hear and compare it to the live versions and then to what the final album version ended up being).

Their vision for Angels, if it was to be on the album, needed to have an innovative, fresh approach that would à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“one upà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  even the best tour version or at least be compelling enough to show a new side of David and show something NOT shown even in the tour renditions. It needed to have something new to add to the previous versions, if not, it was not needed on the album and would be a letdown for people who were so familiar with the live versions. It needed to also make a contribution to his album and show current musical relevance due to there being 58 and counting versions up on the net of David singing the song already.

When they arrived at the recording studio to hear the track for the first time, they were shocked and couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t believe that the track sounded basically like a clone of the robbie williams version. Jeff was beside himself as was David, but fortunately the Jive rep was very understanding and also felt it could be improved and allowed Jeff and the Producer to rework the arrangement so that it incorporated several of the elements from the live version, including Jeffà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s ideas about the first section being more organic, free and open to differentiate from the original Robbie version and to do away with the steady, pulsating piano chords that everyone was familiar with already.

Jeff also had to convince them to include the middle bridge section and to add the 2nd tag ending of Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m loving angels insteadà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  as they had it ending like the original version without the last big moment and only one time though at the end. He also insisted on the ending having most of the elements from the live tour version, and helped choreograph some of the vocals for the ending so that they were similar yet still a bit different so as to incorporate something new into the ending and make it slightly bigger than the live one. There were other licks that they didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t include that he and David felt would make the song bigger and have more moments but the producer insisted on keeping it more generic in certain parts. They didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t allow the yeah yeah yeahs in the middle section, but at least came up with something different that is a nice contrast to what people are already familiar with.

The final version was acceptable although still not quite what they had hoped for, but that is what happens with songs on albums. You have to give and take and compromise to at least find something you can all be proud of. They are very happy with the songs on the album and feel it has a very solid range of styles and shows different textures and sides of David that he didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t show previously on the tour or on the show.

By the way (from LK08), I love “Running” too.

@purplesmile

Use the site I am using to listen to the songs: http://www.davidisourhero.com/ Scroll down and there’s a player on the left. ;)

“Don’t Let Go” doesn’t even sound like Archie though. It sounds like JC singing most of it. I didn’t think it was even Archie. I have to hear him sing this live. I love several songs on the album so that is enough for me. :)

I listened to all of them and I cannot say that I’m impressed. You Can was the only song that I thought let the specialness of Archie’s voice to shine through. I say that fully aware that there will be a few “radio hits” in that mix, Jive woundn’t have it any other way, but all in all I don’t think it represents his current potential in any way shape of form. That little snippet of female vocals in To Be With You makes one wish that a duet of some sort was in the mix.

Let me add that I hope these are songs that David Archuleta can sing successfully live, because after suffering through two albums of Kellie Pickler’s futile attempts I’m sick of artists from Idol whose art is created with studio tricks. Katharine’s song Open Toes falls into this category, too. It just has a few too many little vocal tricks from multiple takes clipped together that she never could quite pull it off live. (Cook’s lower register always is in for a bit of “tuning” apparently too, because he has yet to deliver it live.)

Jeff had a lot more input with songs on this album than we have been led to believe.

I got the distinct impression from Jeff when I talked to him that he pushed hard to get the best possible songs on the album. He pushed to have more songs written in the last two weeks before the deadline, and some of those songs did end up on the album.

I am so glad that Jeff is there to fight for the best for David.

I love this album!!! I have preordered it on I-tunes and I am really interested to hear the additional songs! I think the sky is the limit for this extremely talented young man. I also can’t wait to hear the extra song available from Walmart.

Love the full version of the album. Makes me glad to be a fan.

Regarding Jeff’s input on some decisions. he’s showing himself to be a competent co-manager and one of the biggest believers in his son’s talent, which David gave him props for in his heartfelt liner notes on the album.

Who would think two songs from Rock Mafia — YEDL and YC — would be some of my favorites? Guess the so called “Miley Touch” ain’t so bad.

To Be With You, Desperate, Running, Barriers, Touch My Hand, ALTNOY are all so good and listenable.

David’s secret weapon is that he is a great live singer! David’s live voice is powerful, there is a tone, a richness, a warm timbre in his live vocals that IMO doesn’t yet quite seem to be able to translate and be captured wholly on disk……

Had the pleasure of witnessing those chops live on tour this summer, and nothing I’d seen in his Idol performances, or on you tube prepared me for the fullness, the power and that rich tone he has live – no gimmicks, no tricks… just David A and the mic… He’s a straight up singer, no chasers needed……. :)

What would sell off the chain for him would be one day to record a live, in concert album….. that’s something I look forward to, when the time is right……

ITA LK08 and Serenade!

ggdoorsfan-

Hi! I think that is a phenomenon that I have seen people talk about numerous times- not only how amazing David’s singing is live, but how mesmerized they are by him when they meet him in person. They call it the archuglow. That is part of what happened on the finale that left everyone speechless and what has been spoken of over and over in tour performances and the preshow and aftershow meetings.

This is better than I expected. “Your Eyes Don’t Lie” is stuck in my head after one listen. That one is ridiculously catchy. “You Can” and “To Be With You” are beautiful.

‘Let me add that I hope these are songs that David Archuleta can sing successfully live’

I ‘m sure he can…he’s one of very few artists who sound just as great live (or better) as in the studio.
One of the studios where he recorded a song for the album said about the experience…’no autotune needed’

Deejay… yedl is crazy catchy… it was my least favorite of the clips.. but it grew on me FAST and strong.. I was just like… why do i keep listening to this…. its awesome! hahaha

I’m pretty much in love with Barriers, but I’m impressed with the whole album, and the potential in David’s writing skills. This is a great, solid pop album–and far better than most artist’s first attempts. Jive (and Jeff) did well by David. And David provides some of the most magnificent vocals. For all the “tricks” they did in the recording, I was very pleased to hear his voice wasn’t altered much at all. David sounds like David, and there was a rawness in some of his vocals that the overproduced AI recordings never had.

BTW, somebody over at notingdavid.org got to listen in on David rehearsing (I believe the same person whose brother is one of Jeff’s college buddies), and he rehearsed “Crush,” “A Little Too Not Over You,” “You Can” and “Touch My Hand.” Sounds like that could be the Jingle Ball set-list.

I remember that ” No autotune needed” comment but does anyone remember what studio it was?

I so agree with MJ that this isn’t tweeny pop.

from winterland studio myspace blog

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Jive Records David Archuleta Recording at Winterland Studios

We just hosted David Archuleta along with his producer Eman in Studio A. David was the runner up on the last season of American Idol and is signed to Jive Records.

We were impressed with their professionalism and talent. Its easy to be sceptical when someone is young and hits it big because of being on TV in front of millions, but this boy can sing. No Autotune needed.

We were recording David’s vocals for what is hopefully his next hit single. We will keep our fingers crossed

Thank you shebee! I’m thinking Eman worked on Crush and Running. I need to look it up.

Okay, I listened to some of it again. Right now Barriers and Don’t Let Go sound like the strongest songs on there. I’m impressed he wrote the latter because it’s quite strong. It’s always a shock when they transition from the great songs they do on Idol to the less great songs they put on albums that take 3 months to produce.

Personally, I said, personally, haha, this is the best pop album in few years. I’ve not bought any pop album since…hmm….2000-ish? I listened all songs more than 10 times. There are good songs to be a potential single hits. Even though some songs does not fit on the radio quite well, all songs are still great. Solid vocals, diverse genres, and nice mix. Oh David…I’m so proud of you. Good luck Jive. You did right thing.

MJ, I didn’t know about JC doing vocals on don’t let go and playing the piano, thanks! that piano part caught my attention right away though.

jpfan- for me, I have to listen a few times to get a real feel for songs. I hope you will listen again. I will do the same for Cook’s songs when the full songs come out.

EW review of David’s album. They gave it a C plus .

This Cook fan likes it! His voice sounds great. I really enjoyed “Touch My Hand,” “Barriers,” “You Can,” “A Little Too Not Over You,” and “Your Eyes Don’t Lie.” I’m very pleasantly surprised. Good for Archie and all his fans, this is a very solid debut album! :)

Use the site I am using to listen to the songs: http://www.davidisourhero.com/ Scroll down and thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a player on the left. ;)

Thanks, MJack. :)

Interesting how it straddles teen pop and easy listening. I can hear the fractured effort between label-picked radio-lab productions and the singer/manager’s taste for MOR balladry. That bit of see-sawing is more interesting than the lyrical content. I find the whole sweet but bland.

I like it a lot more than I thought I would.

EW review of Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s album. They gave it a C plus .

What the heck kind of a non-review is that?!? What was it, like, 5 words long? And I browsed around a bit– this guy gave Jordin a B ? Okay, I like some of Jordin’s songs, but Archie’s album definitely has more good songs than Jordin’s album… I’m kind of annoyed at this Chris Willman– that wasn’t a proper critique at all.

mac- Who cares about EW? I’m more interested in an honest reveiw from an intelligent person. What do you think? If you are not a pop music fan, of course, I will take it with a grain of salt.

No kidding, sma11ie. That was a total non-review. The guy probably didn’t even bother to listen to all of the songs. This guy gave Miley’s album a B and Leona Lewis’s album a C plus. That should tell you everything you need to know right there.

Besides, EW not liking Archie’s album? There’s a shocker. /sarcasm

Next!

EW review of Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s album. They gave it a C plus .

I was wondering when somebody would bring that here (and I was kind of hoping it wouldn’t make it over because if there’s one thing EW is not, it’s an Archie supporter). This guy hates Crush, so you know, there’s a deficit right from the get-go. I wrote before I ever heard David’s album that I thought some would dismiss it solely because it’s radio-friendly pop. I disagree with the review, of course, although I’m not sure 3 sentences could be considered a proper review. The album has several styles represented and it’s an interesting mix of music. Indeed, I don’t really understand the review other than that this guy may not be a pop fan in general. He gave Leona a C-plus as well. I think Jesse McCartney also got a C-plus (maybe it’s his grade of choice for pop albums). He liked Jordin’s album, though, which perplexes me because I think there are more winners on David’s album. Jordin, in general, though, got reviews like this one.

The only other thing I can think of is that this guy was expecting something different from David after Idol. There were two factions–the one that wanted David to go the mainstream pop route, and the other that wanted him to be the next Josh Groban (David Foster was in this group). I think this guy might think David should have gone the other way and put out a record of AC-Grobanesque songs that emphasize his vocals. But that’s not what David wants and, frankly, not what most of his fans want. David put out an interesting record with pop, pop-R&B and pop-rock songs, and if this guy didn’t want that to happen to begin with, he’s not going to really give it much of a shot.

ok the guy gave Leona’s album a c? I only like 3 songs on her album, and I like all songs on Archie’s. I like Jordin’s too, but imo David’s has more unique songs. I think that guy doesn’t like pop. That review is LOL :D

Thanks for bringing the EW review over, mac. I enjoyed it because one of the comments was actually “Too bad Cook sucks at singing” lol.

I agree that’s sort of a non-review. I would probably give Archie a B-, but yes, if I were getting paid to write a review, I would definitely use more than 35 words to say what I wanted to say.

:/ C-plus is kind of harsh. I would put this on par with Jordin’s album and she got what, a B?

Standout tracks for me are My Hands (I know, I said I didn’t like the hands songs in the snippet thread, but the full song is better), ALTNOY, which I DID like the snippet of, and Don’t Let Go. They seem to have more sophisticated songwriting going on than say, Touch My Hands. They should’ve let Archie co-write on more of his songs!

I think Barriers and Your Eyes Don’t Lie are gonna be the love them/hate them tracks…they each have a distinct “vibe” that you’re gonna respond to either way. I couldn’t get into them but I’d feel the same about any song that had that sort of sound to it.

Oh, and I agree that this definitely isn’t tweeny-pop. Thank goodness, we have way too much of that stuff going around…

EW gave Carrie Underwood’s debut album a C and said the songs were middle-aged and not Country enough. We all know how that went.

^^ LMAO

Eh…I expected it. It’s one guy’s opinion, which he’s entitled to. And David is totally their favorite chew toy anyway. LOL!

Is the album perfect? No. He’s right that there are some production issues. But, for a rushed debut album it kicks serious ass and after all of David’s warnings it far, far exceeded my expectations. And I’m pretty much a puddle of goo over the songs on his freshman album. I can’t stop listening to it and I can’t wait for all the bonus tracks.

Though it’s fun to talk about our differing opinions, I’ll ultimately voice my opinion with my dollars anyway. I’ll be buying David Archuleta albums for years to come. Of that, I have no doubt.

C is not that bad. A more serious publication would have given it a D, I have no doubt, unless they forget the rest of the music beeing made out there and only compare it to bubble pop. In that case the album is better only because David is a better singer than the others.

That review is just one person’s opinion. I’m sure he’ll get better reviews.

Leome, have you listened to it? Even if you are a Cook fan and not a pop fan, an intelligent review would be welcome.

BTW, soundscene, someone is using your name over at EW giving stinky reviews.

Speaking for myself, I much prefer Archie’s album to Jordin’s. I got bored halfway through listening to her album, although I did eventually wind up buying two of her songs (No Air & Freeze). I was so not expecting to like Archie’s album as much as I do. I really like almost all of the songs, but right now I’m loving Barriers & Running the most (especially Barriers). Once again, Archie has managed to win me over.

BTW, soundscene, someone is using your name over at EW giving stinky reviews.

I know–they’ve been doing that for weeks now. Every time there’s an article about Archie on EW, they post nasty things about him using my screen name. I’ve given up responding. It’s just too pathetic for me to bother. Plus, anybody who knows what I write knows that I’m an Archie fan.

C is not that bad. A more serious publication would have given it a D, I have no doubt, unless they forget the rest of the music beeing made out there and only compare it to bubble pop. In that case the album is better only because David is a better singer than the others.

While pop may not be some people’s thing, and certainly people are entitled to their own opinion, this album is not, in any way, shape or form, “bubble pop” (if you mean it to mean bubblegum). I don’t even think most non-fans would consider it tweeny, even if they weren’t a fan of the music.

Ok, i seriously LOVE “Barriers”….and I love “My Hands” so much better than that 30-sec clip, i wasn’t particularly excited considering the clip, but I am a fan of this song now!

Major Cookie fan/usual lurker :) here… but this is a really solid album, I think. Archie is precious and I was planning to buy a song or two to support him but… hmm. I think I’ll buy the whole thing! His voice is lovely.

Leome, have you listened to it? Even if you are a Cook fan and not a pop fan, an intelligent review would be welcome.

Yes, I have, that’s why I think a more serious publication will probably give it a negative review.
IMO it all depends on the approach we take. I think it’s usual not to give much credit to this kind of pop. I’m going to call it tweeny-pop, I know many fans don’t like it, but that’s the only name I have for it.
Anyway, compared to other tweeny-pop it’s a good album, especially because David has an amazing voice and he uses a lot his lows and falsettos in a smart way, which I think it’s very good.
But, if putting it in the big perspective of music I think the album is very bland, the songs are all copies with the same hook. Besides “You Can” and “To Be With You” all the other songs have that same clap beat in the background, I find it very annoying and so not creative.
Also, I’m surprised there isn’t a good power ballad. He has the vocals, but instead of that they went with two not memorable ballads.
I find two of the songs, Barriers and Running, to be a case of really intense dislike. The others are ok.
Don’t Let Go and Desperate stand out for me, they seem to have something more rockish going on, or seem a bit more mature.

But, I think this album is going to be marketed to a younger fanbase (I’m not saying only those can enjoy it or will listen to it, two different things) and for that I believe it has the perfect hook, it only needs to be catchy and does not need any substance.
No, I don’t like the Jonas Brothers or Miley or Jordin, but this is album is no better than those (not saying it’s worse).

Major Cookie fan/usual lurker :) hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ but this is a really solid album, I think. Archie is precious and I was planning to buy a song or two to support him butà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ hmm. I think Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll buy the whole thing! His voice is lovely.

Thanks for your comment!!! You should totally pre order the album on iTunes, it has 16 songs!!!!!

Leome, I respect you for listening to it at least and although I disagree with most of what you say, especially calling it tweeny pop and comparing him to the Jonas Brothers or Miley (not offended by comparing it to Jordan), I respect you for your thoughtful opinions. I very much like Desperate.

Judging from David’s future gigs, I actually think Jive is going to market David to both tweens and young adults. Just look at the numerous jingle balls line ups he’s gonna be involved, Rihanna, Pink, Chris Brown, Natasha Bedingfield, others, all of them big names.

Major Cookie fan/usual lurker :) hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ but this is a really solid album, I think. Archie is precious and I was planning to buy a song or two to support him butà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ hmm. I think Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll buy the whole thing! His voice is lovely.

Excellent!!

Back to reviews… in general most people don’t buy music based on reviews. I barely ever read music reviews. I’ll go listen to clips or streams of the album before buying to see if I like it. But I don’t read a review of an album and make decisions based on that. And, in fact, I know from past experiences where I have happened upon reviews that critics will wind up loving things that I just don’t like.

Besides, pop doesn’t get a whole lot of respect anyway.

I actually think Jive is going to market David to both tweens and young adults.

I think it can indeed appeal to many young adults and to try that could be a smart move. I’m a young adult myself and I can see some of my friends enjoying it. Although they don’t buy music anymore… but that’s a different story.

I think the album will appeal to pop fans. If somebody listens to CHR, they’ll probably find a lot to like about this album. Teen/tween/young adult/ adult/whatever. And there are songs for pop-rock fans–Don’t Let Go and Desperate being two of the most obvious.

I can’t wait for Archie to turn 20 so people will stop making references to age-appropriateness when reviewing his music.

Ok I have finished listen to all the songs… and first I want to said that I have had a crappy day, somebody crash my car, got late to and appoinment… but forget about it… I listen to this album and IÂ ´m a happy gal!!!! Love it… :jittery_tb: :jittery_tb:

My fav are: :wub_tb: :wub_tb:
My Hands
Your Eyes Don ´t Lie
You Can
A Little Too Not Over You
Barriers
Angels (Just because I have always love angels!!!)

Second wave:
Desperate
Don ´t Let Go
Touch my hands
Running
Crush

Third Place:
To Be With You

I ´m loving this album, haven ´t enjoy one album this much since Matchbox Twenty EP… Go David Archuleta
:thumbup_tb: :clap_tb: :thumbup_tb:

PS.
To the article at EW…. :tongue2_tb:

Back to reviewsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ in general most people donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t buy music based on reviews. I barely ever read music reviews.

True, that. Only people who buy music based on reviews are indie music hipsters, who read Pitchforkmedia. IMO. :P And those hipsters aren’t Archeluta’s target market anyways.

while i am generally a lurker here i felt the need to come out of the woodwork and make a few slightly off topic comments (this is the result of the general euphoria stemming from the historic night america and the world just experienced yesterday).

first, upon hearing archie sing desperate, my first thought was, “how cool would it be to hear archie sing light on (due mostly to the very general similarities in the song structures)”, this of course sent me off on a tangent thinking “how cool would it be to see david and david dropping by the AI8 hollywood week with archie singing a popified version of light on and cookie singing a rockified version of crush”. it would be an interesting cross-promotion, it would re-emphasize the mutual respect that the two davids have for each other and it would be a VERY solid example for the coming AI8 crowd to see that no matter what your own style or the theme of the week may be, you can take a song and make it your own using some very easy to see and understand examples.

anyway weird tangent finished.

the second thing i wanted to comment on was the EW rating. to those virulent archie fans that cannot get beyond the grade enough to really read the article, may i say that if you drill down into the limited review, you will see that the grade was more for the production and the songs than for archie. it would seem that the reviewer felt that archie was capable of more but was hobbled by the staff (at least that is my impression). if my understanding of the non-review are correct, then, despite being a david archuleta fan myself, i have to at least in part agree with the EW article if not the grade. while i enjoy crush well enough, i found that the over the top production marred davids spectacular vocal prowess and the results are a song that is, even for a prodigy like david, impossible to sing live as is (check out the ford day presentation), simply because a single person cannot sing that may parts at once. yes, i know, if they have taped backing vocals or can find back up singers with enough talent it might work but backing vocals would take away from archies tendency to “go rogue” and sing the way he feels on a particular night (check out the enormous variety of versions of angels that were performed during the live tour) and i find it difficult to imagine back up singers that can emulate what david does for himself on the track. so in crush we have a song that will, once again in my opinion, only truly work live if it is striped down into an acoustic production, which i assume would be stunning but still would likely leave fans of the CD version wondering why they aren’t hearing the CD version. furthermore, one of the things that make david, david, beyond his vocals is as kara said, his ability to “cry the song”, in order to do this, david needs a song that is lyrically as good as he is vocally. once agian, i like crush well enough but there is just a bit of the “i’m not buying david archuleta singing those lyrics” aspect and i think it shows on some of the songs, this is the point i think the EW review is trying to make. so, in conclusion, if my understanding of the EW review is correct, that the songs / production don’t do david archuleta justice, then i agree with them to a point, i do think however, despite that, the album deserves a higher grade.

I have no problem with the EW review because it is not a review.

imo Crush is the only heavily processed song on the album. The rest, his voice shines through. PersonallyI think the reviews are heavily skewed towards their perception of Archie on Amrican Idol, hence the lack of personality, not old enough to understand real life experience etc comments.

For me, it is an amazing album.

^^ I did understand what the reviewer was getting at, I just disagreed wholeheartedly. I never thought he was dissing Archie (although EW is not a fan overall). Maybe that’s a product of me liking this kind of music. A lot of songs, not just pop songs, used overlayed vocals on the album tracks. If somebody is a fan of acoustic, stripped-down vocal pop, then that’s fine, but that’s not the album that Archie is making. It was always going to be a pop record, and this is a pop record. This is pop music, and it’s good pop music.

The extra stuff–the production–may be heavy for some, but it still allowed his vocals to shine through. The arrangements themselves, actually, are more interesting than a lot of what I hear on top 40 radio. I expected production like this because I listen to top 40. If the reviewer is saying that Archie is better than this music, then fine. He is better than a lot of styles of music. But this is the music he’s making right now, at the age of 17, when this type of music is generally what people like and what people buy. He was reviewing the record based on some notion that there was something wrong with pop music today. He personally doesn’t like that style, and unfortunately decided to review the album not based on what it was (a pop record), but what he thought it should be (Groban, maybe?).

American Idol did two things for Archie: (1) it made him a star, and (2) it gave people the wrong impression about who he is. He’s an incredible singer, and he sang a lot of mature songs on the show. But he’s 17, and he doesn’t want to be Josh Groban. And he’s admittedly not ready to be John Mayer (who was 25 when he released his disc and over 20 when he released his first indie disc). Just because he’s a great vocalist doesn’t mean he can’t create songs that are fun just for the sake of being fun. It doesn’t mean he has to sing lyrically complicated music (which pop is not known for anyway, and might even bog down a song with pop sensibilities). Simple and lite lyrics (which not all the songs have, by the way) don’t mean the song is mediocre.

I’ll add one more thing–David is a lot wiser and a lot more mature than people give him credit for. I’ve seen people comment that they just don’t “get” him singing certain lyrics. And it’s probably a product of him looking young, and his demeanor while on stage in one of the most stressful situations possible. But he’s not like that. He’s intelligent–he gets things, he understands things, and like so many young artists before him, he doesn’t have to experience everything to be able to understand what it means or to emote feelings related to what he’s singing about. This album shows his maturity while still displaying his youthful exuberance. It’s a combination of his amazing vocals, both planned and adlibbed, and the contemporary pop that is successful and popular now.

cruzceleste- I have noticed among everyone’s reviews among several David fansites and AI sites that everyone has a variety of favorite songs on the album. To be With You and Desperate are on the top of my list, yet they are the bottom and middle of your list. I think this shows that the album is very, very strong. Everyone just has different tastes. But there is not one bad song on there.

LOL @ EW the supposed “review”…you will never convince any hater IMO…….let’s just observe the charts for the real review………..

Some background. I’m a Cook fan who thinks Archie is an awesome person and singer, even if I don’t necessarily enjoy everything he sings. Musical taste-wise, I listen to tons of stuff, but mostly rock, pop-rock, and pop, haha. My criteria for a good pop song is pretty different from my criteria for good rock or alternative stuff. For the former, I just look for a fun, catchy song, a good voice, something interesting/unique with the instrumentation, and not-too-cheesy lyrics. Rock tends to hit me on a more visceral level, and I tend to require more from the lyrics and the instrumentation. I know Archie is capable of much more than good pop songs according to my criteria, because his ability to connect and emote is way better than the average pop singer, but since this is a pop album, I’ll rate it as such, and according to my criteria, I give it an above average score of B for providing an above average amount of fun-to-listen-to songs, with a couple standouts like Desperate. I predict I will end up buying 4-5 songs, which is high for me for pop singles.

all the other songs have that same clap beat in the background, I find it very annoying and so not creative.

I like the clapping beats, it’s kinda fun. I tend to like my pop songs with a cool beat though. Not a huge fan of pop ballads.

i found that the over the top production marred davids spectacular vocal prowess and the results are a song that is, even for a prodigy like david, impossible to sing live as is (check out the ford day presentation), simply because a single person cannot sing that may parts at once.

Hmm… that’s rough that you don’t like this, cuz it’s pretty much used in a LOT of pop music. Personally, I think if the singer is good, I think it’s an opportunity for live performances to be pretty interesting. I wish for live performances to be good, but I don’t ever expect them to mimic the recording exactly, and in fact, that’s usually the less interesting choice. YMMV

soundscene, just want to say that i agree almost entirely with what you have to say if not the extent of your final conclusions. it isn’t that i expected or even wanted a groban record from archie, nor is it that i didn’t expect or didn’t want a pop record, it is that even with a pop record with a pop sound, i think more could have been done even within the pop genre to stamp more david on the songs (does that make sense?). regarding the disconnect that i mentioned in regards to the lyrics in crush and david singing them, i think it is a natural and unfortunate derivative of my constant trolling of the net for all things archuleta, after hearing about him not having celebrity crushes, not having been on a serious date as yet, having deferred his first kiss for now, etc all a million times over, i can’t help but feel the disconnect.

i accept that the time and scheduling factored heavily against david here and hearing the angels story (i think i may have also read it here in the comments of this thread, you know the one about the prepared version being totally wrong and banging out the new version in a day and having to leave it as is despite not feeling it 100%), makes me believe that for the next album (can’t believe i am mentioning the second even before the first one drops) will likely be spectacular where this one is great.

sma11ie, although it is no longer available, i think it was his cousin (the female one who lives in atlanta) that did the guitar only acoustic version of crush, she was amazing and it set the little wheels in the empty spaces in my head wondering about david singing crush live. then i watched the ford day presentation, please understand here that in no way did i think that the performance was bad, it is simply that usually david sounds even better live (well youtubed) than in the studio and with crush, for me, this simply wasn’t the case on that day and i “blame” it on the production.

Here’s another (more thoughtful) review from Archie’s hometown paper that I haven’t seen posted – he gives it a B-:

Salt Lake Tribune

The Salt Lake Tribune tends to be the snarky paper in town and it definitely appears that this guy is not much of a pop fan. I sure wish they would have people who are pop fans review the album. It is also obvious that this guy doesn’t know either David or his fans and is going mostly off of the misconceptions from AI. Oh well, I guess you get your break from AI, but it will take a while to get over the dumb misconceptions.

Endless takes in the studio. . . These are all new songs and not only is he just learning them (his dad said he wrote 8 songs in the two weeks before the album finished and 4 got on the album), he is a major perfectionist. I promise that when he performs them live, they will be perfect the first time.

Archuleta is known for being pitch perfect so I find that Salt Lake Tribune review even more puzzling than the EW one. Lack of onstage charisma? I disagree with this. Adult Contemporary? I wonder if that’s less condescending than the tweeny pop digs. At least no one can say that every reviewer who lives in Utah is a fan.

EW reviewer likes Running and Salt Lake Tribune Reviewer likes Desperate and TMH. Something for everybody on this album.

Oh, I didn’t realize this review would be controversial – I didn’t really read it. I just saw the “not bad” in the headline and noticed that it was more than one paragraph long, so I figured it would go down easier than the EW review. He at least seemed to listen to the whole thing, acknowledged that David co-wrote some songs, etc.

I kind of doubt that a Salt Lake paper has different reviewers for pop music vs. other types of music, or that this guy is incapable of being objective about pop music. Why would a reviewer need to “know” David or especially David’s fans when reviewing his music? I wouldn’t expect any reviewer to know much about either David beyond what they might have seen on Idol or whatever press release they received from the label in connection with the CD.

Thanks for posting the link to the article, cheese. The article actually is about 70% complimentary. There wee just some thing I disagreed with and decided to comment on that. He’s also underestimating YEDL, Barriers and ALTNOVY in terms of being as catchy or moreso than Crush though.

I found the SLC review a good solid one even if I don’t agree with every sing word. EW was not a review, it was something my 10 year old would dash off to his teacher on a 200 page book he read in an hour…..well actually that is what I use to do, lol.

This is not ground breaking pop, but for me it far exceeds my expectations and firmly puts David on the right track to becoming a force in pop music.

What I have always loved about David is that his connection to the song evokes feelings in this very jaded 40 something year old woman. If you can do that for me….then you’ve got me.

Oh, I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t realize this review would be controversial – I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really read it. I just saw the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“not badà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in the headline and noticed that it was more than one paragraph long, so I figured it would go down easier than the EW review. He at least seemed to listen to the whole thing, acknowledged that David co-wrote some songs, etc.

I kind of doubt that a Salt Lake paper has different reviewers for pop music vs. other types of music, or that this guy is incapable of being objective about pop music. Why would a reviewer need to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“knowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  David or especially Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fans when reviewing his music? I wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t expect any reviewer to know much about either David beyond what they might have seen on Idol or whatever press release they received from the label in connection with the CD.

Actually, the review itself isn’t bad. It’s not a B- review, which confused me. It’s more of a B/B-plus review–he spends most of the time complimenting the album. He gets a bit condescending at the end about David’s age and dismisses that anybody would want to know or hear much of anything from a 17-year-old Utah boy, but that’s the only thing that kind of irks me.

Billboard generally does better reviews than local papers (or EW, which is an entertainment magazine, and not a music publication–their reviewers multi-task). Rolling Stone hasn’t been legitimate for awhile in my book. Anyway, Billboard points out the good and the not-so-good of an album in an intellectual way rather than basing it on assumptions about who the artist should or shouldn’t be, or what they should or shouldn’t sing.

Music reviews, in general, though, are far more subjective than reviews of other works–like movies or books. Because songs are short, it’s not as if a reviewer can really analyze a story or a line of thought. It’s so much more about a feeling, and that will always be exceptionally subjective. Yes, you can point out really bad songs, but once you get to the level of a professional album, it gets all kinds of mucky. And reviewers, especially ones that haven’t been doing it for eons, find it too easy to let personal information about the artist, or pre-conceived notions, get in the way of actually listening to what they’re supposed to be reviewing.

And honestly, at the end of the day, I don’t know anyone who buys pop music based on reviews, myself included. I mean I might check out an artist if I happen upon a complimentary article, but who cares about negative reviews if I hear a song on the radio that I like. And in this era of streaming, if I hear one song I like, I can go check out the full album and decide for myself if I want to get the whole thing, rather than rely on a reviewer to tell me how the rest of the songs are. Poor reviewers, no wonder their reviews are so cranky/brusque– they really don’t matter!

The thing that urks me about that review, Cheese, as I wrote on another thread, is that this is David’s hometown and yet he gives misinformation. Maybe there is only one reviewer and he doesn’t like pop music. To dismiss someone as a 17 year old boy from Utah seems really silly to me. Where does he have to be from? Inner City Los Angeles?

Thank goodness people don’t buy based on these critiques. I know for myself, when I read a critique of a movie that they review as bad, I totally dismiss it. I look into it myself and talk to friends who have seen it. That is the best way to find out how good things are. I guess I should stop reading them, since they don’t matter.