david archuleta

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Idol Thoughts

Posted by John on January 28, 2009
Posted in: american idol, concerts, videos, youtube. Tagged: , , , , . 7 Comments

Multiple news items popped up on past Idols over the last few days, so here’s a quick round-up:

– Kelly Clarkson’s new video is supposed to premiere on tonight’s “Idol”, but it apparently has leaked ahead of it’s debut. No idea how long it’ll be up, so watch it while you can:

I know some folks have said that I’m hating on Kelly, and it’s not true. The song’s alright, and the video actually helps a bit. Kelly seems like she’s having fun…this is the Kelly that I fell for way back in Season 1. Let’s just hope the CD shows a little depth, and isn’t all Max Martin-ized.

chris_richardson_pout– If you can’t get enough of former Idols, Entertainment Weekly has an update gallery with contestants from the previous seven seasons. As you might expect, I was glad to read about Chris Richardson’s current status, even if it was to find out that he STILL doesn’t have a record deal for his long-time-coming debut CD.

”As much as you thought that there was going to be so many opportunities [after Idol], it almost seemed like doors were slowly closing.’

BTW, if you’re into the retro-R&B style, check out Melinda Doolittle’s CD, which drops next week. First single “It’s Your Love” is definitely a keeper, although I doubt it will ever see the light of day on pop radio.

david-cook-david-archuleta-today-show– Finally, the top 2 from last year’s Idol have both announced tour plans. Archie has 20 dates planned for mainly smaller theaters, while Cookie has an extensive college tour planned from February through April. Alas, no Colorado dates are planned. Yet. I’m sure this is just a minor oversight on the part of the promoter, and those dates are forthcoming.

When Worlds Collide

Posted by John on December 15, 2008
Posted in: concerts, videos, youtube. Tagged: , . 3 Comments

Fluff post, I know, but this clip is such a culture clash and car crash at the same time that you’ve got to see it.

I want to think that GaGa’s playing this up, but she really seems genuinely charmed by Archie. Wonder what she’d do with his disco stick?

Chart Notable – 11/20/08

Posted by John on November 20, 2008
Posted in: charts. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

beyonce– No change at the top of the Hot 100 this week, with T.I. still holding the one-two punch of “Live Your Life” and “Whatever You Like”. The big change right behind it is Beyonce, who jumps back up to #3 with “If I Were A Boy”, picking up Greatest Sales Gainer honors. Between its natural growth this week, the release of “I Am…”, which should spur more sales next week, and “Whatever” beginning to descend the airplay charts, Sasha’s pretty likely to end T.I.’s monopoly next week.

Katy Perry slips down one spot to #4, but remains bulleted, primarily due to “Hot N Cold” knocking off P!nk, who rounds out the Hot 100 at #5, to take #1 on the Pop chart. Is that a Celebrity Death Match we’d all love to see, if for nothing other than to say “bring me the head of Katy Perry”, and then it actually HAPPENS? The other move within the top 10 is Kanye’s “Love Lockdown”, which re-enters at #9.

axl-rose– Further down the Hot 100, it’s an active week for debuts, with album cuts from Taylor Swift and Nickleback mingling with legitimate singles by Keith Urban and Guns N Roses (in at #34). Yes, I said Guns N Roses. “Chinese Democracy” marks GNR’s first appearance on the Hot 100 in 14 years, when their cover of “Sympathy for the Devil” appeared on the “Interview with a Vampire” soundtrack. It also becomes their highest-charting single since “November Rain” hit #3 in 1991. Big movers include Carrie Underwood’s “Just a Dream”, up from 43 to 29, and T-Pain Featuring Ludacris with “Chopped ‘N’ Skrewed”, taking a huge leap from 62 to 39.

smiths– Over on the Billboard 200, there are plenty of debuts in the Top 20 to report. Taylor Swift leads the pack with “Fearless”, selling over 592,000 units to grab the biggest-selling week for a country release so far this week. David Archuleta comes in at #2, selling a pretty impressive 188,00 units, followed by Now 29 at #3, T-Pain at #4, a strong debut for Enya’s holiday collection at #8, and a #13 start for Seal’s “Soul”, which I honestly wouldn’t have predicted. Goes to show that any artist with a decent voice can release a collection of standards and make some moolah (see Rod Stewart, Barry Mannilow, Donny Osmond, Pat Boone, etc). Further down the chart, the Smiths make their 1st appearance on the album chart since ’92 with “The Sound of the Smiths”. Check out Chart Rigger for all the details on that stellar collection.

Random Notes – 11/11/08

Posted by John on November 11, 2008
Posted in: music industry, new releases, news, upcoming, videos, youtube. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 5 Comments

Enya Winter– If it’s Tuesday, it must be new releases, right? Today’s batch includes Taylor Swift (only $3.99 at Amazon), David Archuleta, Tracy Chapman, Seal, T-Pain, David Foster, and Deborah Cox. The cavalcade of reissues and re-releases include discs by the Smiths, New Order, Enrique Iglesias, Hilary Duff, Genesis and Abba. However, I predict a dark horse this week that may make a big splash is the new holiday release from Enya. I can’t think of an artist that is more appropriate for Christmas music than her. I’m not saying it’ll be GOOD, I’m just saying it makes sense.

il-divo– Looking ahead to next week, an interesting match-up appears. I doubt I have to remind regular readers that David Cook’s CD, but competing for your 19 Entertainment dollars will also be Il Divo, Simon Cowell’s Opera Boys. For most Idols, I would say this isn’t a big deal, but I think these two acts probably share a little more audience then Mr Cook would like to admit. “But they’re BOTH dreamy!”

DCook People david-cook.org– In other David Cook news, he has an AOL Sessions that will premiere on November 21st, he’s playing the Red Carpet party prior to the American Music Awards on the 23rd, and he’s currently appearing in ads for Sketchers (which I believe every Idol winner has done following their win). On the retail tip, we know so far that there are bonus tracks on the iTunes (“My Last Request”) and Wal-Mart (“Breathe Again”) versions. And finally, in the Continual Pimping Department (an artform we admire GREATLY around the PMN water cooler), Entertainment Weekly unleashes yet another feature on Mr. Cook. The cool thing about this feature is that it gets into the whole “how do I rock when the housewives/cougars made me what I am?” dilemma. My favorite quote (you KNEW there would be one):

”I do take music seriously. But I don’t take myself all that seriously. I’m kind of a goober from the Midwest who hit the lottery.”

– Despite the King of Fizz not giving them their proper due (I blame him personally for “Boyfriend” not going to #1), “What Is Happening” will get a physical release on November 24th. It looks like they will be releasing some sassy remixes (including a techno Ultrabeat remix), so here’s hoping that might help get them back into the UK Top 10. The Feist-ish video couldn’t hurt, either…

For some amusing Alphabeat visuals, check out the BBC Chart Blog’s latest addition to their “How To Destroy…” series.

– On a personal note, I’d like to thank all of you that have supported me over the past few months. This started off as a little experiment and hobby, but has really turned into a passion. I set a goal a few weeks ago to do a post a day for a month, and so far, so good on that. Due to a search engine find, the blog has exploded in the page view department, with over 1,000 views in the past two days. It’s a little humbling when folks you read and admire compliment your work, but I am grateful for any and all feedback. Thanks for your support…while it’s cool to document this for myself, it’s even better to have a dialogue with voices other than the ones in my head.

Idols A’Poppin

Posted by John on November 7, 2008
Posted in: interview, music industry, reviews, upcoming. Tagged: , , . 5 Comments

4judges_nycSo the American Idol juggernaut is preparing to kick into overdrive, fueled by two high-profile releases and the impending Season 8 premiere in January. Here are some details to hold you over…

– Master Archuleta releases his debut album on Tuesday (Monday in the UK), and I have a feeling it’s going to be a big one. I’ve heard several tracks off of the album on AOL, and it’s REALLY good. “Touch My Hand” is a really catchy pop song, “A Little Too Not Over You” could easily be a single, “Don’t Let Go” has a Jon McLaughlin vibe to it, and “Your Eyes Don’t Lie” has a cool “futuristic blues” vibe to it. [BTW…”Not Over You” was co-written by Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil of High School Musical fame, not to mention “C’est La Vie” for you 80s buffs.]

DArch StudioThere are throwaway tracks that try to ape current trends like “Barriers” and “My Hands”, and “Desperate” could have been cool, but David gets lost in the production. It’s the simple stuff where he really excels, though. “To Be With You” is just David, a piano, and backing vocals by future Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, and it’s gorgeous in its simplicity. “You Can” is a mid-tempo acoustic ballad that looks to be Archie’s true strength. No song on the record proves this more than “Angels”. I am about to spout pure blasphemy here, but David A’s version of this Robbie Williams classic is AS GOOD as the original, but for different reasons. While Robbie’s version has a beautiful darkness that is lush and deep, David’s soars with a purity that gives the song a completely different spin. Debate it all you want, and maybe time won’t be so kind to this new version, but for the moment, I stand by my proclamation.

– Following a week later is David Cook, who anyone who reads this blog should know about by now. Entertainment Weekly has an interview with David where they talk about the new record, the obsessive fans online (don’t look at me like that), the show, and where he goes from here. My favorite quote from the article:

I still feel like that awkward musician; I think I always will. That’s a huge component of me staying kind of humbled and grounded about the whole thing: I get the flimsiness of it. I get that it could all go away. I mean, fame is fleeting….But I’m at peace. I’ve got guys that I’m playing with that I love to death, and I’m playing music that I think we all really get into, and as long as we’ve got that and a place to play, I’m good.

kara-dioguardi– The monster known as Idol returns on January 13th with the usual month or so of auditions. If you’re looking for a taste, check ’em out here. They’ve also got a little intro vid on new judge Kara DioGuardi for your perusal here. All I can say is, here go my Tuesday and Wednesday nights for the next six months.

There’s Another David?

Posted by John on October 19, 2008
Posted in: music industry, upcoming. Tagged: , . 8 Comments

With all my talk about David Cook, I’ve left out mentioning the other David from this season of American Idol. Master Archuleta will be releasing his debut CD on November 11th, and the set should do well, based on the initial success of “Crush”. The song seems to be losing a little bit of momentum on the pop charts, but it’s definitely given the full-length a good head start, compared to other Idols that have preceded him.

Take, for example, Blake Lewis, who came in second in the previous season. “Break Anotha” was a hot song, but it just didn’t catch on, and never even made it to the Hot 100. “ADD” (Audio Day Dream) debuted at #10, and then plummeted off the chart. To date, it’s sold less than 350,000 copies, and BShorty was released from his contract with Arista back in June.

So what can we expect from Archie’s CD? Well, according to unconfirmed sources, here’s the scoop…

OK folks, this is it, David’s unofficial (but pretty sure) new album tracklist. I can’t guarantee the order is correct, but the songs are all supposed to be 100% confirmed…

1 Crush
2 My Hands
3 Touch My Hand
4 Barriers – (No Doubt meets Bob Marley)
5 A Little Too Not Over You
6 Your Eyes Don’t Lie – not sure how to describe (Bonnie Raitt meets country/folk)
7 You Can = Ballad (acoustic guitar) very beautiful melody and lyric, very “david”
8 Running – Midi Mafia – R&B/Pop/Kinda jazzy, Very Cool!!
9 Don’t Let Go – U2 meets the Fray style – pop/alternative (David co-wrote with JC from NSync)
10 Desperate – Big mature sounding power ballad – Desmond Child (Bon Jovi hit songwriter)
11 To Be With You – Ballad #2 (piano) Pretty love ballad
12 Angels – new version – Ballad #3 (David on piano)
13 Works for Me – Bonus Track (Walmart only) – organic bluesy pop – David co-write with Daniel Bedingfield

Okay…Cook gets Cathy Dennis, and Archie gets Daniel Bedingfield. Is Daniel supposed to be a consolation because they couldn’t work it out with him dueting with Natasha? Actually, the coupling makes a lot of sense, with them both having a mild Contemporary Christian vibe going on. The other writing credit appears to be with JC Chasez from NSync, who is just glad to be allowed near a recording studio these days. For a kid who said he’d never written songs prior to the show, that’s not a bad start. Let’s just see how long it takes his Svengali dad to eff everything up.

And if you thought I could let the post go by without some David Cook info, you were wrong. Oh, so very wrong. David will be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live November 1st, which is really primo, considering it will be the last SNL before the election. Rumor has it that Sen. Obama may show up on that episode. In addition, iTunes will start pre-orders for the CD this week, but it’s already available at Amazon, where it’s currently #7 almost a month before its release. Archie’s is currently #33, which still isn’t too shabby.