Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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79 of 86 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
listen to his skill and then the songs, November 21, 2008
I have been listening to male singers for over 25 years and have bemoaned the loss of the level of skill that was once more readily available. Sinatra on ballads, Damone for tone, Darin for rhythm, Cook for style and so much more. I agree that David Archuleta's first album is targeted to his prime audience and that a few cuts are a bit heavy on the production side ( albeit with great recording studio skill ). For those of you, however, who like the art of singing, listen a second or a third time and focus on what David is doing with his voice. His phrasing, his breath control, his modulation during short phrases and his matching of the tone of his voice to the word is remarkable. On some songs , he actually alters the timber of his voice during a long note...listen to how he matches the word ( length of singing ) to the length of the note. Sinatra was wonderful at that so that he sounded like he was really singing words...not speaking them to music. Finally , David does not fish around for pitch...He must have close to perfect pitch and he always in the center of note..not sliding up to where he should be ..that permits him to be clear and to stay with a rhythm so well. On some of the upbeat songs he is using his voice as a musical instrument and not singing around the music. I know that it would not be sound business decision for an almost 18 year old but I would love for him to add a few standards that permit him to infuse emotion in the lyric and make some old songs new again. For example, his ' Imagine " will likely be the classic version for many young people going forward. David Archuleta has a rare gift and we should encourage him to use all of his skills to reform the modern definition of a performance standard.
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56 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If anyone can make me fall in love, David Archuleta can!, November 14, 2008
This album doesn't deserve just 5 stars.
IT DESERVES LIKE, A KAJILLION.
This looks like this will be a long review but I just have to put in my two cents. I also don't write reviews often.
Discovering the voice of this young boy (he's my age!) was probably the highlight of my music-finding life, if that makes any sense. I listen to a lot of music, everything from rock to hip-hop and r&b. I also don't consider just any song as 'good.' It takes a lot for me to think this. The music generation right now isn't the greatest. I'm a big fan of the oldies and everything before the 2000's. Yes, that includes Michael Jackson, Queen, the Temptations, even old-school Britney Spears and N'SYNC. I've heard pretty much everything. Unfortunately, music of today pretty much blows. I haven't heard anything THAT original or mind-blowing. Nothing that gave me the desire to buy a CD or a certain song. I also wanted to get away from the electronic music phase every artist is like, basically going through right now. It's just so played out! When am I going to hear something new? Someone who can actually sing? Someone who gives new meaning to good music? Well, guess what? I found that someone to be David Archuleta.
I never heard of David Archuleta until my friend mentioned that he was on American Idol and he was in the top 12 or something (yeah, I know kind of lagging on the updates!). I decided to watch an episode, no luck. It was girls singing night I believe, I have no idea! I don't even watch AI. I decided to watch his performances on YouTube. I was hooked when I heard and saw his rendition of 'Heaven.' That was.. breathtaking. The boy made me tear up! By the time I tried to catch up with David on AI, he had lost to David Cook. I was devastated that he didn't win because I thought he had something beautiful to offer to the world. Well, I'm wrong about that: he's doing that right now by releasing this album.
The first time I heard 'Crush,' I immediately fell in love with it. I put the song on repeat until I was able to get my hands on his other songs.
I don't know how to fully explain the way I feel about this outstanding.. downright amazing young boy (or should I say young man) who can ACTUALLY sing. His voice is beautiful. He's got me 'so mesmerized, so hypnotized" from his adorable looks to his crazy-good voice. I got the CD and I was blown away at the material he was singing. He sang in so many different styles that showcased his voice in such a fantastic way. I felt the emotion and passion behind each song. He gave every one of the twelve songs on the album his all. I even cried on one ("To Be With You")! I never cry when I hear a song! I also never buy CD's unless I am a huge fan of the artist. It's my way of supporting them. This CD has been played every day since I got it. What's also amazing is that I really like every song. THAT IS SO RARE TO FIND IN ALBUMS NOWADAYS.
What's also rare is to find humble, extremely kind, and caring people in the music industry. If you look up 'David Archuleta' cute or funny moments, there are a bunch. He is really a sweet and sincere guy who is VERY VERY caring. He's also way mature for a boy his age. He's also unintentionally funny which adds on to his little boy innocence. David seems to be very grounded and the fame is still very new to him and it looks like it hasn't gone to his head and hopefully it doesn't. Everything is probably overwhelming to David but he's taking it in like a true music veteran. He's graceful and carries himself with composure. I can already tell he's going to have a successful career and his voice is just going to get even BETTER.
Every song has something different about it. There's a lot that David has to offer to listeners. ALSO, you don't have to be a freaken teenage girl to like and appreciate his music! I've read several reviews and it seems like David's music has reached out to every demographic out there!
EDIT. I want to mention my favorite songs on the album. Though I pretty much love all the songs, there are like, four songs that are the best (according to my ears): "Crush," "Touch My Hand," "To Be With You," and "A Little Too Not Over You."
-"Crush" is for anyone who's liked someone but had no idea how to interpret those very feelings. It's a great song and I know a lot of people can relate to it.
-"Touch My Hand" made me realize that it was for fans! I had to listen closely to get the meaning and I thought it was brilliant. It's so catchy and different from his other songs. It's a great pop song.
-"To Be With You" made me cry, no joke. The lyrics are absolutely beautiful and tear-jerking. Towards the end of the song where he sings 'to feel that way,' his voice just SOARS into my heart and it made me cry the first time I heard it. It's just a really good ballad.
-"A Little Too Not Over You" is a song that many would be able to relate to. The chorus is WOWOWOW, I really love it. His voice just rocks in this somewhat upbeat song.
AND I LOVE HIS VERSION OF 'ANGELS.' BEAUTIFUL. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.
I'm a fan for life now! I hope I can see him in concert because from the YouTube videos I've seen, he's freaken even more amazing!!
Buy this CD and buy it for your friends, you won't regret it!!!
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An absolute joy to listen to!, November 19, 2008
I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this CD. Obviously, I knew I'd enjoy simply because of his voice, which is stellar. But I didn't know what the songs would be like, if they'd chosen Crush as the single because it was the only catchy song on the CD. Well, that could not have been any farther off than it was.
I absolutely love every single song on this CD. They all have really catchy beats and melodies, with touching lyrics that can make your heart melt. It's a really nice mix of light-hearted, sweet pop songs like Crush, and Touch My Hand, and meatier songs like Desperate, To Be With You, and of course, Angels (the vocals of which just can't be beaten).
It's just an awesome CD, and has definitely become a new favorite. One that I'll be listening to over and over again.
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Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
by David Archuleta 
