Everybody Has a Smile!

By rascal

Since my video for “Somebody Out There” seemed to get such a powerful response, I thought I’d try my hand at David’s new one.

[MEDIA=18]

O Voice Divine

By rascal

[MEDIA=10]Thanks to jwipe on YouTube for the video. (Try to ignore the clueless women who can’t keep their foul pie holes shut. It’s brief.)

I think perhaps the reason I may have been chosen to write about David Archuleta is because as a rather loquacious individual with an annoying vocabulary, I am rarely, if ever, given to speechlessness. David is sometimes a challenge for me.

There are very few singers in history who have been able to achieve a level of purity and perfection in all the dimensions of vocal production in a way that doesn’t come off like a vocational accomplishment. The ability to make a technically flawless performance be about something quite other than technical perfection is the mark of true greatness.

Analyzed from a purely technical point of view, this performance is jaw-dropping. From the standpoint of breath production alone, it seems as though he has an inexhaustible source. Aside from the very end, when he splits the syllables of “divine” with a breath, every note, no matter how long, is utterly full, with not a trace of diminishment at the end. His intonations and modulations are simply breathtaking. Once again, David’s impeccable taste shields him from doing too much or too little with his stylings. Every musical choice is savory, without the slightest inclination toward showboating. His natural tone, that slight smoky quality in his voice, is gift of immense proportions, and contributes significantly to the overall effect.

Astonishingly, this is all quite beside the point. David’s ability as a communicator, a channeler, a conduit of musical language is what is ultimately so riveting. It’s as if the song sings him. That’s why when the material is great, he is extraordinary.

P.S. Be sure to read HG’s review at the end of the previous thread.

Somebody Out There… is Clueless

By rascal

Click here to download the MP3 of “Somebody Out There”

In very short order there has been broad consensus across the fan community that “Somebody Out There” is easily one of the best releases from David’s first major recording effort. It is in my top three. How, then, to account for the fact that one of the most satisfying songs has been subjected to the least amount of distribution? This track is currently unavailable for purchase anywhere. Not on a hard CD, not on a download. Can’t buy it.

In order to have it, you would have had to have pre-ordered the album on iTunes. I have nothing against channel incentives, but when it effectively takes a superior feature of the product out of circulation, it’s not helping anything–except, of course, Jive’s relationship with iTunes. And isn’t that the point? No, my good and loyal Archies, that is most definitely not the point.

There has also been broad consensus that the so-called “bonus” tracks are in general a better representation of David the way his fans appreciate him than the tracks selected for inclusion on the standard CD. Even if I’m not ready to accede to the emerging belief that they are indeed better songs (a couple of them are, including “Somebody Out There”), I do agree that they amount to a superior showcase for David’s voice. And that’s what it’s all about.

David made a point of setting expectations about this album as a hodgepodge of styles, a potpourri of experimentation–a “who am I?” journey. And while I may have observed more range on the standard release than perhaps a number of critics have, it is incontrovertible that had more of the bonus tracks been included, the standard release would have contained significantly more variety. David knew exactly what he was saying. Jive’s decisions only served in the end to undermine his words by releasing as narrow a version of the collection as possible as the standard issue.

In the creative industries and in the media and marketing world, a lot of people think the word “hack” describes someone who can perform work capably, but without any real inspiration or creativity. In other words, servicable but ultimately sub-standard. That’s not quite accurate. A hack is someone who has the ability to do more thoughtful, more creative, or more inspired work but who lacks any real respect for their audience. Consequently they rationalize short-cuts and rote, standard fare as “good enough” because their clueless audience won’t “get” anything more interesting anyway. A hack is a cynic.

I think Jive has been hack in their treatment of David’s album. They apparently think, for example, that because “Somebody Out There” is organic, soulful, authentic and sweet (precisely the nature and character of David’s most heartfelt work) that his current core market of teenage girls won’t “get it;” that they require something between Chris Brown and the Jonas Brothers in order to respond favorably. What Jive is evidently failing to recognize is that David’s core market is both smarter than they are giving them credit for, and entirely responsive to who David already is, not what the Jive marketing machine wants him to be.

The Standard CD: A Rascal Review

By rascal

I blame Madonna.

Ever since Madge made production paramount to performance in pop music, the voice has played an increasingly diminished role for all but the boldest of virtuosos. Over the two decades since this sublimation began, arrangers and producers have not only become increasingly adept at making up for a lack of vocal prowess with production technique, they have correspondingly become inept at properly managing true vocal nuance when it happens to show up in the studio. For all its accomplishments, much of this production treats its eponymous star like an ingredient rather than as the main course.

David Archuleta is mainly a bright, engaging compendium of smart, solid pop and pop-rock material that showcases the teenager’s impressive skills as a singer, songwriter, and collaborator. What the album may lack in coherence it makes up for in variety, even if it does, inexplicably, lack even one soaring power ballad of the type that might have been prodigious on a David Archuleta CD. Indeed, the album seems an almost strategic refutation of expectations (this from an artist who claimed to be entirely devoid of competitive strategy during his American Idol participation).

Unlike previous show finalists (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood) who were rushed through the post-show studio meat-grinder and managed to release albums with enough coherence and virtuosity to please both critics and audiences alike, David is not as easily defined by existing genre categories. Which isn’t to say that he doesn’t have an innate ability to step into a genre and make a success of it on his own terms (a skill that was under-appreciated during his season on Idol), but that the possibility for a quick and perfect match between the talent and the market is much reduced. Given the potential for such an uneasy fit, the album is a victory. But it comes at a cost.

Through all of his humility, his reluctance to be considered a star or even the center of attention, David is nothing if not game. Whether it’s agreeing to sign all manner of odd items including body parts for fans, dancing “the Wiggelow” with an entire Catholic girls’ school, or cheerfully answering the most inane and impertinent of interview questions, David meets every request with thoughtfulness and generosity. But it took more than a thoroughgoing attitude to prove that he could channel the enormous scope of his talent into the somewhat stringent parameters of contemporary pop music. There were the inevitable difficulties. He got so frustrated with the process at one point that he reportedly wondered aloud how he could consider giving up after God had offered him all this opportunity. Some of that frustration led to explosions of creativity: When he realized there were too few solid song choices from the material offered, he decided to write his own. Several of his compositions and collaborations are now included on the CD, or slated as premium release bonus tracks.

David more than shows up his early critics who dismissed his potential to serve up radio-ready fare with the hit single “Crush” right out of the gate. There is a good handful of potential subsequent singles including “A Little Too Not Over You,” an insanely catchy number that David collaborated on; “Touch My Hand,” another collaboration that sounds like a cross between Coldplay and Sheryl Crow; “Barriers,” my personal least favorite cut, but an arm-waver that is likely to be a young crowd pleaser; and “To Be With You,” which, despite the fact that I am thoroughly unqualified to make assessments about the contemporary pop music market, may well turn out to be the largest-selling single off the album. It’s the only track on the standard issue CD that comes close to showcasing what David does better than almost anyone else, and what the public will inevitably come to treasure him for. The inimitable Archie heart connection is in this one. It’s powerful, even despite the stultifyingly generic arrangement and the unnecessary duet treatment on the chorus (it should be illegal to pair David’s voice with anyone else’s).

The one song that offers a tantalizing glimpse of where David might go musically when he has the time and credibility to ignore conventional parameters is “Desperate,” which sounds as if it belongs on a different album altogether–a more mature album, one with fewer capitulations to current trends. For such a sweet and unassuming guy, David does darkness extremely well. I happen to believe that one of the reasons his “uplifting” songs work as well as they do–”Angels,” “Imagine”–is because of an underlying melancholy, symbolized by that cry in his voice; the feeling that in grace lies an awareness of suffering.

In trying to package a talent as unique and prodigious as David Archuleta, even the most capable effort can wind up feeling inhibited. Add to this the preposterous schedule mandated by a production driven more by revenue opportunity than by artistic integrity, and it is perhaps surprising that David’s first major recording effort is as satisfying as it is. Still, time matters, and would have undoubtedly brought even this material to a stronger place. The ability to accelerate his own creative process was undoubtedly helped by the performance demands of new material every week on AI, but David remains an artist whose work benefits from a slight saturation of time. Look at how “Angels,” which was already an anthem, evolved over the course of the tour to become, in Tulsa, an all-out, jaw-dropping event. In contrast to many of his pop music peers, David is fundamentally a live performance artist. The connection he establishes with his audience is for him a creative conduit. David should ultimately be one of those artists who develops his material in concert and then records, rather than the prevailing reverse route, valued for its higher revenue potential.

I like the album. But what I like about it doesn’t necessarily have a whole lot to do with what I love about David Archuleta. I look it this way: Would I have recognized what I now understand to be the virtues of a once-in-a-generation performer from this collection alone? Not likely. David’s voice, with its enormous nuance and subtlety, is given somewhat short shrift in this collection. Does this material prove that David can be successful, perhaps even consequential, as a standard-fare pop star? Sure. And although I may fully understand and even completely agree why it makes sense at this point to package filet mignon as hamburger, it doesn’t mean I have to love the idea.

Angels: The Full Track

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.

Angels – Album Version Clip

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.

ALTNOY

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.

Album Cut Preview: Touch My Hands

By rascal

Thanks to Valerie for the photo from the Portland show

touchmyhands.mp3

Here’s a clip of a cut that may appear on the album. It was posted as part of a survey at RateTheMusic.com, possibly to help choose between this and a similarly titled cut, “My Hands.” This one is better. Anyone else think it sounds like a Sheryl Crow song? Nothin’ wrong with that.

Update: If anyone with any influence on final production is reading this, it would be exceedingly cool to rock out the arrangement on Touch My Hands even more. It feels so much like it wants to go there. Go there!