Dad Chats with Fans About the Making of David Archuleta’s Debut Album

When I spoke with David Archuleta’s dad, Jeff Archuleta, at the Mix 98.5 fan breakfast a few weeks ago, he described to me how he pushed for more songs to be written for David’s debut album, and how David wrote non-stop right up until the recording deadline. Four of those songs made the cut. Jeff appeared to be very involved in the production and song selection process for David’s album.

Jeff stopped by Fans of David for a chat last night, and he discussed the making of the record with fans. How much input did Jeff and David have on the production of the album? Read on to find out.

thanks IGetCranked

  • Jeff on the song “A Little Too Not Over You”, co-written by David: “I worked on the bridge and the vocals in the bridge as it wasn’t as complete as it is now. I felt it needed more of a lift going into the bridge so I added an extra bar and made it a bigger moment as a result and also added the ad lib licks leading into the bridge and the falsetto lick.” He added falsetto on “To Be With You” as well. Jeff says he likes working on licks for David, as he understands his voice and knows the level of emotion David is capable of delivering.
  • “You Can” is a song Jeff really liked, but wanted a few more things added to it. He added the one note higher on “You” the 2nd and last times David sang it. Jeff felt it added more of a “lift”.
  • “Running” is one of Jeff’s favorites. He loves the chord progression.
  • Jeff had a “gut” feeling that the song that ultimately became the Wal-mart bonus track, “Works for Me” written by David and Daniel Beddingfield belonged on the album. He wanted to switch the track with “Your Eyes Don’t Lie.” Unfortunately, he lost that battle.
  • Jeff and David both wanted “Falling, ” the song David wrote when he was 14, instead of “Desperate” on the album. Another battle lost–“Falling” is a bonus track on the iTunes and Amazon Deluxe Version.
  • David may be working on a couple of records next year, one will probably be a Christmas album. He’s also looking at recording some Spanish versions of songs from the current album. Jeff says, “The label is very positive about things.”

Jeff notes there were some differing opinions with the label, and that he and David had to negotiate and compromise on songs. He stresses, however, that the label really tried to be fair. He says they did listen and let him and David have creative and production input on at least half the songs.

I’ve got the Wal-mart version bonus of “Works for Me” after the jump. What do you think? I agree with Jeff, it would have been a much better choice for the album than “Your Eyes Don’t Lie”–a song I think is an awkward fit for Archie. Hopefully there will be more songs like “Works for Me” on the next album. The song is a soulful mixture of pop and folk and is reminiscent of the two artists David admires right now–Jason Mraz and John Mayer. It’s the type of song that’s a logical next step for David.

Listen to “Works for Me” after the JUMP…

About mj santilli 34832 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!