A perfect storm in nature occurs when there is a simultaneous occurrence of events, which by themselves would be less powerful than the storm that results from their chance combination. I will use this euphemism to describe David’s vocal performances on this summer tour.

Although Demi Lovato has complained of vocal strain this summer, the same cannot be said of David because his vocal training enables him to sing without undue strain on his vocal cords. David’s brush with vocal cord paralysis have been part of his resume ever since we saw his first American Idol audition. David’s vocal coach, Dean Kaelin, has described David’s trials and the vocal techniques David used to overcome this ailment.

However, for all the proper vocal therapy and training techniques David may have mastered under Kaelin’s tutelage, the one thing he could not teach was the natural ability to make a song his own. In his e-book, American Idol and David Archuleta, An Insider’s View, Kaelin writes: “Even at the age of 11, he had a powerful voice, but what set David apart most was his innate and natural feel for stylizing and interpreting a song. David had a lot of emotion and feeling in his songs, his pitch was all but perfect, and he had tremendous control over phrasing and licks which is extremely unusual for someone of that age.”

Similarly,  through our experiences with David’s talent, we grew to understand the performer along with the voice. David likes to sing songs with uplifting lyrics. He infuses enough emotional heft to connect the audience to the song and to him.

We used to know what to expect from David’s performances. Like a good chef following a familiar recipe, David would mix the ingredients proportionally, throw in a generous dollop of charm and presto - out would pop a usually ear-pleasing, beautiful performance that checked all the boxes and then some. It’s not so simple anymore. Somehow in the middle of the night (maybe while we were in an archustupor watching YouTube videos of his past performances) ninja-quick David traded in the old recipe for a new and improved version. We haven’t been the same since.

During his tours so far, and despite David’s concerns about vocal endurance, his voice has grown noticeably stronger and deeper. Additionally, his emotional connectivity and artistry have improved so much that both long-time fans  and new fans are overwhelmed by the new depths and ease at which David has us eating out of his hands. Sure, one can argue that more familiarity with his repertoire and new-found confidence on stage adds to the mix, but those factors alone cannot account for the high caliber of these sizzling summer performances.

In a 2005 article, “Take Off  Your Emotional Clothes and Sing,” author Charles Isherwood shadowed legendary Broadway star Barbara Cook as she taught a master class about making songs come alive. “The key to good singing is making a real investment of feeling in each note. Your own humanity,” Cook said, “is your pathway to artistry.”

Using a vivid metaphor that acknowledged the scariness of the enterprise, Cook explained, “We have to find the courage to take off our emotional clothes.” Cook described the certain fear that motivates many singers to perform. “We feel that we’re not enough, that the world doesn’t want us,” Cook said.

Isherwood observed the students’ behavior as Cook shared her wisdom. “The students were hiding inside the music, inside their technique, and Ms. Cook set about dragging them out and making them lay bare their own truths, even if it meant awkwardness, embarrassment and some blunt criticism -- leavened, in all cases, by sincerely delivered hugs and kisses. She put forth a telling paradox: ‘The place that seems most dangerous is exactly where safety lies.’ In other words, self-exposure and the abandonment of technical propriety, scary as it was, was the surest, the best, maybe the only way to communicate with an audience.”

David has said that speaking is difficult for him and that he can truly express himself through music. David is shy and soft-spoken off stage, yet the moment he steps out on stage, something magical occurs. David becomes this performer sure in technique while also emotionally heartfelt. Inanimate lyrics and music notes become alive and meaningful as he interprets a song. As an audience member, you listen with your ears and understand the song in your heart by the time he is done.

An interviewer recently asked Cook about what she liked about American Idol. She said, “Last year, I loved David Archuleta; I think he’s a major talent. Not only does he have this gorgeous voice, but there’s such soul in his work” (http://www.theatermania.com/new-york/news/05-2009/simply-barbara_19250.html). It surely seems as if David could conduct a master class with technically-trained singers older than him with the natural ability he already has.

David achieves several accomplishments at once. He sings a song with the correct technique needed to articulate a song’s message and project his voice without injury. At the same time, he intuitively stylizes a song and emotionally bares his soul. This is then layered by his ability to quickly incoporate other newly-acquired  powerful artistic entities, like  confidence and stage presence, to achieve a performance  ”storm” of perfectly balanced proportions.

Watch in wonderment as “Storm” David seamlessly pulls all these elements of technique, artistry, and power together in his cover of Apologize.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_skKNETizAM

“Every time I hear him sing this, I sit back in complete and utter amazement. HIS VOICE! His expressiveness and emotion. Ah, the passion and heart he puts into every ounce of this song. Whether it’s him standing there by the piano, moving around on stage, or sitting at his own keyboard. Each time it’s so moving and telling and piercing. And now with just HIS VOICE and HIS NORD. STUNNING. One can just hear the purity and richness and intensity in his voice and it’s OVERWHELMING.”

--Dana L. of SnarkieArchies response to David performing Apologize recently in Philadelphia. Video by Mulder99.

-Joymus

Who can take the sunlight, sprinkle it with dew,
Cover it with chocolate and a miracle or two….
The Candy Man can…

Prologue: Anatomy of an attraction

David Archuleta seems to possess one attribute above everything else that stands him in good stead no matter the occasion. A high likeability factor. While this observation is nothing new to anyone who has observed David or crossed paths with him since he burst onto the music scene, what makes it remarkable at all is its penetrating and lingering power.

First Inklings

It started innocently enough when we were introduced to a fresh-faced young singer named David Archuleta during the early audition stages of American Idol Season 7. From the moment he sang Waiting On The World To Change and wowed the judges, the first nascent stirrings of attraction began percolating within us. When he was through, for some inexplicable reason we were immediately attracted to his personality but there was no rhyme or reason other than what was just witnessed by all.

During Hollywood Week, Simon Cowell gave voice to what we were all experiencing when he described David with this now-famous quote; “You’re young, likeable, good-looking and you’ve got a great voice”. As the competition evolved and David was introduced each week with a video clip, more of his personality began to emerge. The early stirrings of “Hey, this kid is cute” began strengthening with each performance, and his grace under heavy criticism at times from Simon, only impressed us more and more.

The Candy Man can cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good!

However, the single most defining and unifying moment for us as his fans with the collective name of “Arch Angels”, started when David placed his hand over his heart at the end of his performance of Angels. With that tiny gesture -- we were goners. While in past seasons we may have supported our favorite contestants, it usually ended with a phone call to place a vote. Finally, here was someone who found a way to communicate acknowledgment of that support beyond the barriers of an artificial studio set with a simple, genuine, heart-felt non-verbal cue.

Awakening: The American Idol Tour

Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh,
Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie?
The Candy Man can…..

David’s emergence from the bubble of the AI show and his interaction with people became apparent from the very first show. Early grainy Youtube videos captured not only his skill at singing but the crowd’s emotive reaction to David as the piano emerged on stage with the first strains of
Angels. By the end of his set -- When You Say You Love Me -- participant and viewer alike -- scarcely anyone was left unaffected in his wake.

This ultimate breakthrough led to fans seeking him out by the buses. As word spread about how nice he was to everyone via fan reports and videos, the widening circle of falling in “like” with David became evident. Somewhere along the journey David for us, transitioned from just a cute talented singer to a really good friend.

Love Affair

The Candy Man makes everything he bakes satisfying and delicious. Talk about your childhood wishes…you can even eat the dishes…

Thus began one of the greatest love affairs of Summer 2008. In show after show, city after city, talk show after talk show, critic after critic, non-fan after non-fan -- once again, almost everyone who came within smiling or singing distance of David simply fell under his spell. They came bearing tokens of love -- gifts, letters, scrapbooks, and accounts of touched or changed lives. Along with merely liking David, the longer one remains exposed to his personality or music, a seemingly compulsive need develops to reciprocate appreciation for the untold pleasure his talent and personality provides on a day to day basis. We worry about if he is eating well or getting enough rest through his now hectic schedule. He also activates our protective instincts if we even get whiff of an oncoming hurt in the making.

One day without him feels like an eternity at times. Why do we feel this way about David? Why do we withstand inclement weather and stand in line for hours just for an opportunity to see him perform live or simply get a 5-second autograph, picture or if we’re really lucky -- a hug? Why do we salivate over any tidbit of new information about him? Finally, even without meaning t0 -- why do others new to him get drawn into this singular vortex of affection?

Epilogue: The Heart Goes On

Who can take tomorrow, dip it in a dream
Separate the sorrow and collect up all the cream?
The Candy Man, oh the Candy Man can…

In some intangible, unexplainable way, the aura of David seems ten times more affective than the average person. It spreads undiluted from his presence to ours and at the end of each exposure -- he leaves you wanting more… of him. The affection that flows from him is manifested in the way he takes care of us -- from his selection of songs with uplifting lyrics, to the quality of his delivery, to defying security instructions if it comes between his fan interaction time, to blogging extensively and now tweeting regularly about his day to day activities.

David’s greatest gift as a person is cultivating a sense of intimacy. We cannot get enough of his “genuineness” in an era of me-centered celebrities. Its as if you just want to bottle it up to save for a rainy day. At this moment of our history with daily bombardment of negative news -- wars, failing economies and increasing cynicism, David’s likeability reaches out to us like a ray of sunshine and makes us hold on for dear life.

In the words of Bebereader a regular commenter here on TDC:

“You want your heart to be healed, take a dose of Angels. You need to be uplifted to the clouds, take a dose of ZG. If you want to feel that someone is there for you, have a little Somebody Out There or a dose of Save The Day. Whatever your emotion, David Archuleta is the cure! And he’s the best tasting medicine I’ve ever had!”

The Candy Man can cause he mixes it with love to make the world taste good!

David Archuleta is a real-life Candy Man, because he mixes everything he does with a generous portion of love. For us, his fans, just that extra helping of love makes all the difference and separates him from the rest. Just that extra helping of love sweetens the drudgery of our lives and enables a more bearable existence in this world. I sometimes wonder if this mere 18 year-old young man is aware that he unknowingly shoulders the balance of joy he brings to our lives. Thank You David -- you’re one in a million and you’ll always have our backs. After all -- they don’t call us your Arch Angels for nothing!

Love, Peace -- Joymus

Please enjoy this rendition of The Candy Man by Sammy Davis Jr.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ3KUUAnnc4

]]> http://www.thedavidchronicles.com/2009/05/the-candy-man/feed/ 362 http://www.thedavidchronicles.com/2009/03/dont-let-go/ http://www.thedavidchronicles.com/2009/03/dont-let-go/#comments Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:00:49 +0000 joymus http://justdavida.wordpress.com/?p=748

It is a known fact that behind every work of art, literature or music, there is usually an underlying theme or premise upon which an artist hinges his/her body of work. While on the surface most performers in music can produce a theme-based album, for the most part it is either limited to the title of the artist, in which case all we get is a reflection of their personal taste in music, or a main title track.

In the case of David Archuleta, I believe his music straddles two ideals – physical and spiritual. In his self-titled debut album, to the casual listener, it is made glaringly obvious on a physical level (eyes and ears), that David intentionally chose to include songs with mostly upbeat, positive messages. In any further reading of his biography, that casual listener can then easily connect the dots, and come to the conclusion that his song choices may simply be a reflection of his personal values. Case closed.

Case closed? With David Archuleta? Not quite so fast. So now that you’ve oohed and ahhed over the beauty of his voice, and hit that repeat play button a couple times, you wake up one day and realize that in the span of a short time….there is something more here than meets the eye, and before you know it – your heart is also engaged.

We’ve known all along that David is an especially emotive performer. His first tour (de force) performances on Youtube have now revealed to even us die-hard fans, a never-before seen glimpse of a performer with something more to give – his heart…And oh what a heart it is. Now that our hearts and his have merged we come to the crux of the other underlying ideal expressed in his body of work: spiritual. This one may not be as blatant as the other physical ideal, but is there nevertheless. David’s spiritual message is this – Don’t Let Go!

Not only is this message lyrically repeated in many of his set list songs – My Hands, Waiting For Yesterday, Don’t Let Go, but now David is relaying the message in more subtle ways. He literally takes us on a journey with his burgeoning performance skills – the care he gives to enunciate each word because they carry an important message. If you missed that, there are always his hand motions. With this lovely pas de deux in play, he then sets us down gently back to earth, like a dancer – letting go of us one finger at at time but still with the admonition – Don’t give up, no matter what you’re going through, it’s going to be okay – you’re not alone, we’re in this together. Upon reflection, David probably did not have to look too far for inspiration, after all, he had to persevere through vocal paralysis and not let go of his desire to pursue a singing career.

It’s one thing to produce an album with upbeat songs. However, it is entirely another matter when the artist actually cares about the emotional well-being of his listeners as well.

Click here to see the beautifully penned lyrics to Don’t Let Go.
Lyrics to Don’t Let Go
Made with Love – Joymus