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for October, 2008.
By rascal
I was struck by this image from MJ’s Blog of David arriving at radio station MIx 98.5 in Boston this week.
Although we all know that David is the least likely artist in history to allow success and fame to go to his head, it is nevertheless natural to expect that he will become accustomed to it, and even come to appreciate the experience. His comfort in his new role as a public figure has certainly been evolving since the summer tour, when his generosity of spirit was so much in evidence by the dedication he showed to his fans. But until this image, I had never seen any glimpse of what might be characterized as David the star.
I don’t mean to suggest that there is a self aggrandizing aspect to this. David would no more think of himself as a star than he would the president of the United States. But there is a dimension of confidence in this image of him that is unmistakable. And new. And very exciting. To think of what he would have looked like less than a year ago arriving at an event full of strangers with expectations–adorable but a little tentative, happy but a bit bemused–the level of poise and self-posession in evidence here is quite remarkable. He even appears to be the calm strength in the middle of the chaos.
Folks, David the star is emerging.
By rascal
Snarky Archies is reporting today on a comment posted at FOD by two fans who attended one of the recent radio station appearances that Jeff confirmed to them a solo tour starting in early 2009, with a second leg in the summer. I’m not ready to bet the bank on it until a word from Jive or at least another unrelated source, but this has been rumored for at least a month, now.
By rascal
Angels.mp3
First, the good news: In contrast to his earlier AI studio performances, David has evolved considerably in his ability to reproduce in-studio the dimensions of power and urgency he locates so naturally in live settings. If only the producers hadn’t done everything in their power to undermine this accomplishment.
The production is shamefully overdone. After a stunning opening, one that holds the promise of sublime nuance and incredible consequence, the vocal is swallowed into the mix like powdered sugar in batter. I feel like a want to throw poor David a life-raft to keep him from drowning. The arrangement itself is tight, if a little thick; the tempo is spot-on. And then comes the chorus… The harmonies are positively ridiculous. And not in the good way. Pure, unadulterated bubble gum.
The travesty of it all is that they’ve taken a magnificent, dynamic, heart-wrenching performance and all but neutralized it with layers of nonsense. Someone needs to clue them into the concept of “less is more.”
If this is a harbinger of things to come, we’ll have to prepare ourselves for some disappointments.
By rascal
Watching the always impressive Frontline program on PBS this evening, about our presidential candidates (it can be seen in its entirety here), I was struck by a comment made by one of Barack Obama’s early campaign managers. As he and a friend were watching Obama’s historic address to the 2004 Democratic Convention on television, they laughed as they recited the speech along with Obama nearly word-for-word. “This was the same speech that he used to give to, like, ten people,” he said, referring to their early days in the churches and meeting halls on the south side of Chicago. Only now, it was galvanizing thousands in the convention hall and millions across the nation. People were weeping, cheering, and predicting the rise of a new American leader.
I couldn’t help but think of those early videos of David singing at weddings, school assemblies, and parties… And even of cozy Tuesday nights on the couch… Those of us in the “base” will undoubtedly watch with similar recognition as the weeping and cheering spreads far beyond our corner community. This may well be the last few moments in time when we are able to claim David as our very own. His circle of devotion is about to widen.
By rascal
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
attributed to Edmund Burke
I apologize in advance to those of you who will understandably believe that notingDavid is the wrong place for political messages. It was a very difficult decision for me to go ahead with this. But I concluded, in the end, that if I were to have any regrets, it would be because I did not do it, not because I did. The relationship between this issue and David is indirect, but it does, unfortunately, exist.
In order to give my valued readers a choice in this matter, I have placed the main content of this post on the internal page. It is for information purposes only, comments are disabled. And I would appreciate it if commentary on this issue does not spill over into other posts. Write to me directly using the contact form if you feel the need to express yourself. If you wish to avoid this altogether, just skip to the next post.
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By rascal
The album description in the Wal-Mart catalog gives us a unique insight into the marketing strategy in place for David. It was in all likelihood not intended to be published as-is, but rather the result of a lazy or overworked Wal-Mart publishing arm that didn’t bother to re-write the distributor release from the label. Here’s an excerpt:
A series of multi-layered marketing and media campaigns will be implemented in the coming months to assure a chart topping album release. The primary target demographic of teen and tween girls will be reached through a series of high school and cultural initiatives the brand Archuleta as every girl’s “best friend,” “all-American crush” and “future heartthrob.” A secondary demographic of parents will be reached by emphasizing Archuleta’s natural talent as “inspirational,” “genuine” and “refreshing.” The week of release media campaign will include a series of live performances and appearances on morning and late night television programs, and Archuleta will perform at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, post-release.
Although the copy might be tailored specifically to Wal-Mart and similar retailers who expect to be selling to particular demographics, the positioning seems nevertheless to be quite narrow, and makes me wonder if Jive really does understand what they have in David. Perhaps his producers know, but one wonders if that knowledge has been translated to Marketing.
On the one hand, David has plenty of time to evolve his positioning to reflect the true depth and breadth of his work and the nature of his diversified appeal; on the other hand, there’s a risk in getting pigeon-holed as a teen heartthrob (even if it’s distinguished as a “future” heartthrob–that modifier sounds suspiciously like the result of a David-driven negotiation to me…!). Such narrow-casting may well make it tougher to transition to broader, more “serious” markets down the line.
In the language of the current political climate, appealing to the base has limited value. Those constituents will show up anyway. Jive would be better advised to establish a broad base of appeal for David–one that indeed reflects current reality more accurately–right from the get-go.
By rascal
Angels – Album Version.mp3
Well, I know one thing is for certain. I will not be able to be at work when the full versions of this material becomes available. There’s no weeping at work.
By rascal
A Little Too Not Over You by David Archuleta
I have to confess to a having been a little underwhelmed by this one on my first review of it last night, even while conceding that I am not the slightest bit close to the target demographic for it. David’s voice has such depth, such complexity–not to mention his ability to color and shade his performances with incredible subtlety and intelligence–that when I hear it being deployed for purposes such as this, I can’t help but lament a certain loss of opportunity. But David, as we all know, is much more than a gifted singer with great skills. He is a consummate musician, a pop music connoisseur, and, lest we forget, still a teenager. This kind of song must be acknowledged as the right kind of vehicle for at least a certain–and, at this point, significant–aspect of his recording career.
On a second listen this morning I liked it a lot more. In particular, there’s a sweetness about it that is incredibly appealing without being mawkish or cloying. David is proving to be very adept at this difficult balance in choosing material. And, as evidenced by the bridge section tacked on to this preview clip, he is also smart to pick songs that allow him some extemporaneous opportunities, not even so much to showcase his melismatic capabilities (which have been overdone in pop music marketplace for some time now), but to include that heart-tugging cry in his voice, which he tends to pull out at the ends of certain vocal riffs. The falsetto in this section just elicits in me one, huge, s#!*-eating grin. At the risk of emphasizing my flair for the obvious, I just love this boy.
The final test of the viability of this one may very well be that after only two listens, I found myself humming the damn chorus while preparing breakfast. If that’s not an indication of market potential, I don’t know what is.
