From DavidArchulata.com:

You may have seen an unofficial version of the cover around the internet, but you heard it here first folks. This is the OFFICIAL cover for David’s new album “The Other Side of Down”. Pretty awesome, right? Now download it and make it your profile pic all over the place, on this site, on facebook, on Twitter, everywhere! Share the love (we hear there is something “bout” it!) everywhere you can and stay tuned for more photo news right here on davidarchuleta.com

Also, if you haven’t yet, make sure to pre-order “The Other Side of Down” from David’s Official Online Store.

From Orla Fallon’s Website

Orla Is Taping A Christmas Special For PBS On September 2

At a loss for words, David said his hope was simply that fans “like it, that they enjoy listening to it.”

Little did he know that Crush would premiere at #2 on the Hot 100 and go double platinum, and that his album would go gold. And little did he know that this date marked the beginning of an era in which David would make an indelible impact on an industry. Already today, after just two years (not a long time, but what must feel like several lifetimes of experience to him), David has come to meet success, validation, and greater confidence and maturity. He has grown quite a bit since that day in 2008, but looking back at this moment we still see the same humble, generous guy we’ve grown to love.

So it’s time to re-watch an oldie but goodie and reflect on how far David has come. Were you a fan when this happened? And where were you?

-Ronald

I’ve had one of those evenings when I didn’t feel like working. And so I took a walk through my video library. I have no wisdom to impart, no analysis to provide. I just want to share these videos that are in my all-time favorites list.

I want to hear David sing. I want to watch David move around the stage and hunker down. I want the new CD and a tour so baaaaddddddddd.

Enjoy!

Touch My Hand and Waiting for Yesterday, Leicester, UK – McFly Tour

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbWBZP7V44E

Stand By Me – Manila, May 16, 2009 Concert with David Cook

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvVNuLEw3t8

My Hands – Salt Lake City – March 27, 2009

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTPHlG08MZI

Don’t Let Go  - Greensboro, NC, July 29, 2009

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEMqNqWFS6U

Apologize – Las Vegas, NV, July 18, 2009  

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa0HDoJpPZc

Zero Gravity – Sunrise, Florida, August 1, 2009.  He uses every inch of that stage.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=12rcRYx7D8s

Contigo en la distancia at the 2009 ALMA awards

www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6FsfvxyyT8

David, who usually expresses uncertainty when talking to fans about his upcoming music, is overcome with excitement in his latest video blog when talking about his upcoming album:

I just can’t wait for you guys to hear these songs! … I feel you guys will really get to feel me in these songs because I’m… a part of the writing, and so part of my ideas and just how I feel are in these songs.

Aside from the involuntary joy one feels while viewing a David video blog, one can’t help but feel enormous anticipation with this one as well. For David—who is a perfectionist in many things and admires the musical greats of the past—to feel a sense of accomplishment and joy in sharing his own musical production can only bode well for the quality of his second pop venture. David’s unique choices in selecting and styling his songs reveal an impeccable musical instinct.

How many frikkin songs has David written already? It seems like it’s almost every day we receive a tweet announcing a new song that David helped write. David’s first album was largely written for him, and recorded in hasty sessions at different stops over the course of the 2008 Idol Tour. David had very little time and/or experience to “find his voice” in the decision-making process regarding the larger choices for the album. Now, David’s initial forays in wielding a hand in his own destiny in both business and music will show their first fruits. David, Part Deux promises to surpass the original.

Okay, so David says that the next album will better reflect him? That we’ll “really get to feel” him in these songs? What will come from David’s self-admittedly and wonderfully “weird” and “spacey” mind? What should David’s confession of “me-ness” tell us about the musical styles and lyrics we can expect on the album?

Hardly anything at all, I’m afraid.

We have even less of an idea of what music is in store this time around, precisely because David has had such heavy involvement in the process. Any look at David’s musical and thematic inclinations will show that they are wildly varied. He can command a variety of genres, best exemplified during his American Idol days. One of the sources of excitement in following a young prodigious talent like David is the constant potential for surprise and discovery.

David has provided us with no hints. We’re left with looking back at what David has written or helped write in the past, to get any idea of what might be on the menu for his next album. So, shall we?

1. “Works for Me” – Sassy, Bluesy, Attitudy David?

How many of us thought David had a song like “Works for Me” in him? The song was co-written with Daniel Bedingfield and, with its soul influences and bluesy guitar hook, calls for strutting and finger-snapping. We also hear little bluesy, soulful touches that David brings on in full glory in his covers of “Crazy” and “Waiting on the World to Change.” All that’s missing is a glimpse of the Archuneck that David whipped out while singing “Shop Around.” In one interview, David has said that his new album will show more how he thinks. Looking at the lyrics to WFM, we see a witty, confident, and humorous side of David. Perhaps we’ll get to see some of this David in the album?

2. “Somebody Out There” – David the Love Balladeer?

Surprisingly, David’s first album did not include a ballad that had strong radio potential, especially given that this genre was the box many people put David in after his singing “Imagine.” It will be interesting to see whether David and the label opt for a strong ballad as one of his singles this time around. I thought that “Somebody Out There,” co-written with Mike Krompass, may not have had the potential of becoming a pop hit, but still it was the most musically interesting and lyrically strong of the three love ballads on David’s first album (though this was only on an extended version of the album). The lyrics and music expressed a simple, earnest, generous affection, spoken as if in an intimate conversation, that one doesn’t hear in many love ballads. Perhaps we will hear David bring some new ballads on his next album. The pop world needs a fresh, sincere voice like David’s.

3. “Don’t Tell Me” – The Rhythmic Pop Supah-Dupah Star?

This is another possible route that David and his management could use to establish some early commercial success off his album. While a young teenager, David apparently wrote the melody and lyrics to “Don’t Tell Me” while another musician filled out the arrangement. With a catchy melody that progresses well from one section to the next, it is an amazingly proficient piece of pop work, especially considering it came from such a young artist. When I first heard this, I immediately thought it was influenced by Christina Aguilera’s “Stripped” album – David probably could rock some rhythmic pop if wanted to. The verses to “A Little Too Not Over You” – also co-written by David in tandem with Mike Krompass – also show his melodic creativity in this mode of music.

4. “Falling” – David the Soul Artist at the Piano?

In my opinion, this song, though it didn’t cause a sensation in the fandom (see #5), gives the clearest glimpse of the heights David can potentially reach with his music. The MUSIC (ahh, the music!), with its dramatic chord passages and his tenor voice soaring above them, show a David that is prepared to and entirely capable of bringing forth big emotion in his music. Perhaps David will bring us something spiritual and transcendental? A message of social relevance? Or something exploring the painful side of the human experience? We shall see.

5. “Zero Gravity” – David the Club King?

Ahh, “Zero Gravity.” Did any of the fans expect David to produce a song that, with the right production, would comfortably fit on the same station with Ke$ha and Lady Gaga? Like “Don’t Tell Me,” ZG’s catchy hooks and natural progressions from one section to the next make it a very strong pop song. But even more than DTM, ZG is such an earworm that it just has you singing along after a few listens – which is a key ingredient for a pop radio hit, and means that this was possibly a lost opportunity for a second successful single. With pop music becoming increasingly influenced by techno and other kinds of dance music, one can see David and his label trying to experiment with a dance track or two on the new album, at least as bonus tracks.

Given David’s wide range of musical inclinations, one wonders how he and the label will come to an agreement as to what will be on his next album. Perhaps David’s album will be eclectic? Or perhaps it will be a cohesive mission statement that declares, “This is me”?

On that, we don’t have an answer either(!). And perhaps everything I have said has been worthless drivel based on wild speculation.

But that doesn’t make speculation any less fun.

So everybody join in!! What do you think will be on the menu? And what are you craving!

-Ronaldsf

The recent discussion surrounding David’s own personal Twittergate has brought to the surface, yet again, the political differences that lie among David’s fans. This debate has prompted heated exchanges and caused hurt feelings.

As crazy as it sounds, that only means that David must be doing his job.

In the course of David’s young, incipient career, he has accomplished the highly unusual feat of bringing together people from a wide variety of backgrounds and viewpoints under a single umbrella. His enigmatic appeal draws in young and old, socially conservative and liberal, men and women, straight and gay, and people from different cultural backgrounds and nations.

Many of us were struck by David’s performance of “Imagine” on American Idol, and felt his hope for a better world. But what was that world we imagined? It was a world “without religion.” Or a world with religion. Or a world of peace and cooperation. Or a world without the injustices that divide us. Or a world that upholds principles and morals. Or a world that embraces change and diversity.

In a word: a million-and-one things.

A song is not a conduit to a spiritual world that lies outside of this one: it is a call upon our imagination. It is a channel—in David’s hands a powerful, direct channel—to thoughts and emotions we otherwise could not access.  When David sings a song such as “Imagine,” we feel connected once again to our own hope in humanity, our own courage that we once thought lost, our better natures.

David’s greatest crime is that he does this so well, for so many. And the kicker is that David’s extraordinarily generous and compassionate nature means that his fans project all of their hopes not only onto his music, but onto him—he becomes each fan’s paragon of virtue. And so, in each fan’s eyes, David becomes that disciple who can most effectively spread to those who would otherwise live in darkness the “good word,” whatever that should be. He becomes that person on whom we can project our deepest and sincerest hopes for the world.

And so it should surprise absolutely no one that David walking into a gay bar and then responding to rumors with some inartful statements have aroused passion. Not only were fans’ differing political views placed in direct conflict, but hopes we had kept in our heads had slipped away as well. While there remains much disagreement, there is one thing everyone can agree on: no side can lay exclusive claim on David as their angel, which he never was in the first place.

The ongoing exchange here at TDC has not been without some hurt, but it has also fostered greater understanding among people who otherwise would never talk so frankly, let alone be in the same room. That would never have happened, had David not initially united us. Thank goodness that David, when communicating, is not limited to 140 characters.

Perhaps the process of creating a more harmonious world is nowhere near as harmonious as singing “Imagine.” But in our case we did get somewhat closer. And starting us on this journey did require a boy to sing.

-Ronaldsf

I began writing this article before I knew that David was scheduled to appear on this week’s Idol results show. The premise of the article was that perhaps the recent relative quiet in Archuland was a time for reflection, and may have been serving as such even for David himself. I speculated the possibility that, in the two-year period since David found himself winning the largest television audience in the world and courting some of the most devoted fans on the planet, he may not yet have had a real opportunity to unpack what had actually happened to him. One learns (perhaps most) in the doing, but taking stock is vital, too. Maybe in this relatively quiet time, I thought, he may have finally had that opportunity.

I think it’s safe to say there has been some serious reflection indeed.

Some find fortune. Others have fortune thrust upon them. I’ve often wondered to what degree David was complicit in the creation of his own fate. I think the general consensus has been that if it weren’t for others egging him on, encouraging (among other things) him to put his talent on display, the voice of David Archuleta might still be confined to the room at the top of the stairs after a long workday at the local audio-video store. The television show “Glee” has tried to profile the unwitting talent, the one who has “the calling” thrust upon them, but somehow I can imagine even the most reticent Gleester belting out tunes in their bedroom with a firm vision of the audience just beyond in the dark, and vivid fantasies of fame and fortune. Whether David was unwitting or complicit, he has never betrayed a hunger for an audience nor an explicit desire for fame and fortune. On the contrary, in fact, he seems to have wanted nothing so much as protection, not exposure.

In the midst of this enormous trajectory of professional and personal growth, David has also sought shelter and comfort in a dimension of his life that offers a constancy and structure absent elsewhere. That dimension is, of course, his faith. It isn’t hard to understand how someone with David’s sensitivity would seek asylum from a world of weakness, vipers and vulgarity. Who could blame him? The desire to be tethered to something sacred, to be in the world but not of it, is understandable and admirable. But religion itself can sometimes serve as a substitute for objective inquiry and self reflection, substituting a host of apocryphal fables and arbitrary regulations for true spiritual development. I am not suggesting that David has fallen victim to this risk (we are sure to know more on this subject when his book drops), but there has always been a question for me regarding the degree to which David might be seeking retreat from himself. In particular, from his own power.

The discovery of one’s own power can be one of the most surprising aspects of accomplishment. And power can be frightening, even — and especially — when it’s your own. Anyone of any insight who has followed David closely realizes that his experience with the adjudication of power in his world has been, at best, a very mixed bag, and, at worst, a series of tragic disasters. It should come as no surprise, then, that David’s own formidable power — as evidenced by everything from the sporadic instances of truly unbridled performance moments to a reported stubborn streak a mile long — may well be the source of real apprehension for him. How does one adjudicate the power to hire and fire people, never mind the power to make people weep and scream and faint?

The one form of personal power with which David is obviously most comfortable is his voice. And yet, it is the remarkable control he exerts over this power, his instrument, that produces some of its most tantalizing effects. Indeed, it is often not the expression of power but the implication of it that creates excitement for an audience. This is something many contemporary performers don’t seem to realize. Of course, the power has to really be there, it can’t be a ruse or else it won’t play as a genuine threat. From where I sit, David implies far more power than he has ever actually expressed, and I have no doubt whatsoever that it is all really there. Every bit of it. The tension between implication and expression, between control and release, is what great music (among other things) is made of.

In the short span of a week, many of these persistent questions about David’s relationship to his own power have begun to be answered. If David wasn’t entirely complicit in the formation of his role as a performer, he is clearly taking the reins now. As always, David is nothing if not methodical. Those of us with a good deal more impetuosity in our nature can become awfully frustrated watching someone abide when action might be taken. But David is on David Time, not Rascal Time or Jive Time or even Earth Time. The upside is that when decisions are made in David Time, they are definitive, uncompromising, and sure. They are powerful.

The new adjudication of power is evident in David’s latest performance of “Imagine.” Relaxed, expressive and genuine, this performance is deceptive in its simplicity and extremely subtle in its new evocation of strength. David will always be the kind of singer whose charms and wonders appear to those who accept his invitation to connect. David doesn’t grab you by the scruff of the neck and drag you into his world, but merely shows you a door. It’s up to you to come in. In the earlier versions of “Imagine,” I think perhaps David hadn’t quite realized what his role was inside that world. I suspect he thought he was the entertainment. Now, I think he realizes that he is the host.

I’ve seen as much real power emanating out of David Archuleta this week as in the past two years combined. As with everything Archuleta, it is subtle but unmistakable. There is a new confidence, an assertiveness, that feels entirely genuine. David isn’t trying on some new attitude for size. This new expression of strength is deeply grounded, obviously the result of long and careful consideration and fertilization. And it’s not going unnoticed, either. Observe Simon Cowell’s expression as David is talking with Ryan onstage after the performance. Note that Kara DioGuardi, also in the frame, has that typical “aw, isn’t he adorable” look on her face, but Simon is plainly intrigued with the new Archuleta. He’s got that “well now, what have we here…?” expression.

I’ll tell you what we have here: New management. A new album. A new haircut. And a new and very exciting supervisor of the David Archuleta phenomenon: David himself.

– Rascal

News is spreading fast across Archuland of David’s report to Ryan Seacrest on his radio program this morning that David’s father is no longer part of his management team.

In discussing his forthcoming book, Seacrest asks David what he expects his dad might think of the book. “My dad is my dad,” David explains, then adds, “just like my mom is my mom and my brother is my brother.” He reiterates a familiar point about how important family is to him, and then remarks, rather offhandedly, that “my dad was part of my management team for a little while; he isn’t anymore.”

The interview can be found at the following link, and is definitely worth a listen. David talks about standing up for himself and making his own decisions, and in general talks a blue streak. Very refreshing. Like the news.

http://www.kiisfm.com/cc-common/podcast.html

This is the most excited I’ve been about an Archuperformance since Contigo en la Distancia.

We already know that David’s reiteration of Imagine will be transcendent, and that David will bring to this cheesy reality show a good dose of his old-school, heart-stirring soul.

And we can already predict some of the buzz that will come in its wake. Singing the very song that catapulted him into international consciousness just over 2 years ago will invite the inevitable comparisons. Unless he gets the being-on-AI jitters again (which I doubt—Imagine is one of those songs David loves and was made for singing), David should succeed at demonstrating his growing significance as an artist. The vast majority of the AI viewing audience has not seen what we have seen: David’s tremendous growth in stage presence, command, and vocal depth and power over the past couple of years.

Of course, this is not about silly comparisons and petty debates. This is an opportunity to appreciate the purity and beauty of this anthemic song in David’s masterful hands once again. And it is also an opportunity to celebrate another milestone in the growth of a young artist into manhood. Something is telling me that this is a fitting occasion to bring out the champagne glasses, as well as the kleenex.

(Anybody else excited?)

- Ronaldsf

When David revealed on Twitter March 5th that “She’s Not You” was from “a while back”—and therefore wasn’t a candidate for the second album—I felt relieved.

No, no, no… it’s not that I hate the song. I like it: it’s catchy, and in particular the melody and the guitar in the verses create a nice vibe. (Though the chorus is a bit too bland for my liking.) When I first heard it, I felt anxiety about the second pop album… was this the direction it was headed?

We now know that it was a track recorded for David’s first album, but still my day or two of not knowing this made it a useful reference point for thinking about where David’s studio production was at 18 months ago, and what new directions it could and should go in now.

“She’s Not You” resembled much of the first album in its level of quality, and in that it was quite conventional—it dealt with simple young boy-girl love, and fell squarely in that space between R&B and pop that characterized much of the album. This approach made sense at the time—it was perhaps the smartest thing to try first to create commercial success, and after all there was little time for David and the label to define jointly the best approach for the album. But now David and the label have the benefit of time to create an album that paints some bold strokes—bold, first in the sense of having some particularly strong, standout songs, and second, bold in expressing who David is as a person and an artist.

Because, let’s face it: we, his fans, know that David is capable of greatness. Still, we have yet to see a musical composition that summons an emotional gravitas that is commensurate to David’s ability to convey it. I am not asking that the perfect song be on David’s second album. However, it is fair to want and expect that a genuine attempt be made.

That means songs that feature David’s voice. Songs that David can connect with. Songs that can summon some of that earth-shaking emotion we know David is capable of delivering.

This doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning the pop route—in fact, if we are to speak of industry formulas, it seems to me that a pop power ballad, putting that stellar voice on a pedestal, would be the best approach. But what can I say? When it comes to what makes a song a hit, I’m not an expert. Still, as amateur fans we know enough to know that some things work for David that should be done.

In terms of arrangement and production, David’s fans are now more aware than before that, when it comes to David, it is often true that less is more. The bare instrumentation of “Contigo” put David’s voice front and center. As listeners, we honed in, not on the melody or the instruments, but on the subtleties of David’s voice. No fancy, expensive studio tricks, no synthesized hooks vying for our attention. Just us, and The Voice—a direct emotional conduit between the listener and the artist.

Another aspect of “Contigo” and of other songs (“Fields of Gold,” “Prayer of the Children,” “Imagine”) is that they were dear to David, on a theme that David could relate to. In my opinion, “Somebody Out There” was a much stronger ballad than either “To Be With You” and “You Can,” which I think comes down to the fact that David co-wrote SOT and could relate directly to what it said. “Falling” is gripping because we know these are David’s words, and that this music comes directly from his heart.

So I hope to see some movement in these directions with the second album. I am not saying that the album should be comprised entirely of soul-wrenching ballads. (Though I actually wouldn’t mind that.) In fact, I am hoping that there is some freedom given to David to express his rich musicality in a variety of musical genres.

In the first album, there was some variation in styles in the official twelve-track version, but they were a bit outside of David’s own inclinations. Unlike songs such as “Desperate” or “Running,” which because of the production were kind of hybrids of other styles, a conventional-pop melody with some stylistic dressing—some of the compositions David himself worked on, from the sassy “Works for Me,” to the club-thumping “Zero Gravity,” to the intimate “Somebody Out There,” jumped fully into the genre, spoke its language, and expressed a clear idea both lyrically and musically. Thus, a unity between words, music, and artist.

The most promising fact about the second album has been David’s extensive involvement in the writing process. This suggests that the folks at Jive/Zomba are trying a different approach and want this album to express David the Individual, whoever that may be. It is thrilling to think of what might be in store.

For now, “She’s Not You” is my new David music fix to sustain me through this long, extended Archudrought. Still, I do this with full knowledge that this isn’t the David that made me fall obsessively in love with him in the first place. Greater things await.

If this song were a person, then it would be the musical equivalent of a rebound—entertaining and pleasant enough for now, but just someone to hold me over while I’m really thinking about someone else.

“He was really nice… but he’s not you, David. I just know you’ll come back to me. I’m burning a candle in the window…”

-Ronaldsf