H -°, L 16° | Tomorrow: 
H 35°, L 21°He crooned to thousands during his stint on “American Idol,” and now he can reach even more with his self-titled debut album. David Archuleta was the second place winner after David Cook on the seventh season of the hit reality television show, losing by only a small margin — he received 44 percent of over 97 million votes. Archuleta started performing publicly when he was 10 years old and was also a contestant (and the junior vocal champion) on CBS’ Star Search when he was 12; he is one of the youngest contestants to become runner-up in “American Idol” history. But Archuleta hides his youth well on his debut effort, releasing an album of tracks that Randy, Paula and even Simon would approve of.
Archuleta’s voice and feel of his music reach far beyond his years, giving him an adult sound. While on “American Idol,” he received a considerable amount of criticism for singing songs that weren’t exactly approachable by his age group, but his new batch of tunes appeals to a younger audience. The instrumentals, combined with the lyrics, give the album more of a pop feel, reaching out to those in his age group while maintaining his mature style.
Archuleta’s talent also extends to songwriting; this singer co-wrote multiple tracks on his debut album. Songs “A Little Not Over You” and “Don’t Let Go” offer creative lyrics and verses you wouldn’t expect to come from a stereotypical pop album.
But Archuleta’s songs do have one drawback: The first time around it may be difficult to differentiate between them, but repeated listening produces distinguishable features in each song. This could explain why Cook won in the seventh season — he has the ability to change the sound of his voice in songs. “Your Eyes Don’t Lie,” however, has quite a distinct sound when compared to the album’s other tracks. The 11th track on Archuleta’s album has a fun and exceptional sound, offering a western feel complete with whistling in the background which add to the album’s eccentricity and originality while still weaving in Archuleta’s strong and beautiful voice.
David Archuleta’s self-titled debut album brings to life all the obvious talent the “American Idol” fans heard live, the only downside being they are unable to see the dark-haired cutie in front of them. Archuleta’s vocals in this album are unbelievably heartbreaking, and the lyrics are sincere, mature and powerful, giving him the potential to be a good role model. “Crush,” the first single off the album, made it to the No. 1 position on iTunes within 24 hours of debuting, foretelling more singles to follow with just as much — if not more — success as the first. Archuleta’s jaw-dropping vocals and fun lyrics suggest this will not be the only successful album in his career. Randy, Paula and Simon were right — imagine that.
4 stars out of 5
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Your review is dead on. Especially, the part about repeated listening. This album is growing on me the more I listen to it. I hope he doesn’t get depressed by some other reviewers. If nothing else he has a innate ability to express the emotional meaning of the any lyrics he sings.
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I’m not a fan of his style of music, but I have to admire his voice. It’s very unusual and recognizable on the radio. Also, seems like a sweet guy, for the young ones to look up to.
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Thank you for taking the time to write a thoughtful review of this album. So many music critics are so dismissive of David because he was on Idol. Anyone who actually takes the time to listen to him with an open mind will realize how talented he is. The fact that this album was the end product of only a couple of months in the studio gets me really excited about what he’ll do next.
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I love David’s album, especially the Itunes Deluxe version which has 3 bonus tracks (as does the Amazon MP3 deluxe) and Itunes had a 4th deluxe track if you preordered. Walmart Deluxe CD has yet another bonus track. One of the Itunes bonus tracks “Falling” was written by David at age 14. My top favorite tracks on the album are My Hands, Running, Barriers, Your Eyes Don’t Lie, To Be With You, Desperate, and the Itunes deluxe bonus Falling. If anything makes some songs similar, I think it’s the post-production. But David had no control over that for this first CD (possibly due to the rush of getting a CD album recorded and produced in 6 weeks!) I love Archuleta’s voice.
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Kathi, You mentioned only two songs he wrote. There are three more songs he wrote/cowrote; Somebody out there, Falling, Works for Me. Falling was written when he was 14 inspired by a girl who committed suicide. Works for me was cowritten with Daniel Bedingfield. They are different feel from the rest of album. You will like them.
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This was a great review. And you got it exactly right.
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A great review of an outstanding album! Love this young man’s talent & appreciate his hard work on his first album. He’s out-done himself his first time out, as far as I’m concerned…get ready for David Archuleta because he’s on his way!
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Great Review! Great first album..outstanding talent and beautiful soul! Way to go, David!
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The difference between this album and others besides the superior vocals, and interesting market approach is that it is focused outwardly, toward the listener.
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Just as the first person said, you are dead on about David’s album. He sings with such emotion and passion for what he does, that it’s hard to not like it. Thanks for giving a great review.
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omg that is completely true i love david he is the cutest boy ever<3 and omg a little too not over you is an awesome song and so is crush and like yeahhh alll of themmm (: he is the best i think he should have won…. but o well! i bought his cd the day it came out and i thought every song was amazingg soooo good and kinda sexyyy<3 if you dont already have it get ittttttttt (:
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David Archuleta is a very talented young man. His voice is beyond amazing. I really love his first album. I love all the songs. I think he did an amazing job considering that he recorded the album in a short period of time. This young man is also an awesome human being. He already is a great role model. I will follow his music career. He is going to be a very successful musician.
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Great review. You really “get” David!
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Great review! I am really enjoying this album and Your Eyes Don’t Lie is probably my favorite.
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David Archuleta rocks! I’m completely gobsmacked by the vocals…oh my gosh…just amazing, soulful, fun, heartfelt. Everything a debut album should be, and something for everyone. He is turning out to be a bonafide superstar. Spike Ferenstein said that when he was on his show it reminded him of beatlemania. Go big D!
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Im an avid fan of David from the Philippines. I am so happy and proud of his album. I got a copy & can’t help but play it over & over…His voice & the songs on the album is awesome. Hope I can get David to sign my CD when he gets the chance to visit the Philippines. He’s got lots of fans here:)
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Kathi….this is a great review. Could you do me a favour….listen to it ONE more time? You can certainly differentiate between the songs when you do. I think, because of David’s smooth, silky vocals, he ties everything together. Give it one more go. Listen to My Hands, with the quirkiest lyrics going. Or Desperate, which, with a bit more guitar, is rock ballad worthy. Or Let Me Go (a bonus on itunes)…sure to make it into the clubs. You won’t be disappointed! And then you’ll have to listen to it a 4th, 5th, and 6th time and so on. Seriously.
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Great review. I love his new album. If you are one that has followed David through the months, then you appreciate how much he has grown as an artist. Some say he has no feeling in his songs. That is not true, although most of his songs have that familar ‘archu-sound’ that we have come to love, he packs everyone full of emotion and feeling. He communicates through his music, and his personality radiates brightly in each song.
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Love this album. I agree with you on alot of the lyrics being atypical. The songs and his voice become addictive. Great start for a 17 yr old. He is going to be around for a long time. Great review.
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Love this review! I appreciate so much that you recognize the amazing artist David is becoming. The album is wonderful and I can truefully say I love every song, most of the time when I buy an album there might one or two good songs but this one has 12 amazing songs. Thanks for the great review!
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i agree!! this cd is really really awesome, it has something 4 everyone
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Thank you for validating my feelings about this work by an amazing artist. David Archuleta gives so much with this collection of songs and I appreciate all the work he put into it. I know he will only get better with time, and that is an amazing thought for his fans to ponder.
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I absolutely agree with you. The songs may seem similar the first time around because of his voice, but they are all unique in their own way. I absolutely fell in love with “Your Eyes Don’t Lie.” It was a very pleasant surprise at the end of the album and it proves that David can sing out of his comfort zone. His CD is amazing and I hope that others will get to enjoy his music as much as I do.
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NICE ARTICLE, LOVE HIS ALBUM, I COULDN’T AGREE WITH YOU MORE. HE’S AN AWESOME SINGER.
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I KNEW I WAS GOING TO LOVE DAVID’S CD, BUT… HE TOTALLY BLEW ME AWAY!!! THIS CD IS SO DIVERSE, IT MADE MY JAW DROP!!
I LOVE ALL THE TRACKS, BUT THE BONUS TRACKS TO ME THAT ARE TARE TO DI3 FOE!!
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David deserved all the compliments. I luv the texture of his voice & luv all the songs. A big star in the making. Fan fr Malaysia
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i disagree with your assessment about changing his voice. he has a different sound for each song. whether it be the dark mood of “desperate” focusing on his lower tones or the attitude and spunk in “your eyes don’t lie’.
and won’t it be great when the day comes that a writer can write a story about Archuleta without the gratuitous Cook insertion?
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There are very few artists that can consistently sound as excellent as David Archuleta does when performing live. In all his performances, he shines. He is amazing. His new album is really good, especially considering the pressure he was under to get it done so quickly. I believe and sincerely hope he’ll be around for a long time.