See the original performance set to Eva Cassidy

- ronaldsf

There is nothing terribly salacious about a guilty pleasure, it can be chocolate or shopping or MTV’s Jersey Shore – just so long as it’s not exactly edifying but oh-so enjoyable. With the sudden appearance of David performing “Don’t Stop Believing” at the Brut Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, I couldn’t help but wonder… Is David a Glee fan?

I mean, it makes perfect sense — why wouldn’t he be? Everyone I know with even the slightest interest in great voices and performing is, to one degree or another, enchanted with the show. It just seems a little odd that David has never mentioned it, nor has he, to my knowledge, even been asked about it. Glee is certainly an interesting hybrid: wholesome, almost nerdy appeal with fairly progressive elements – teen pregnancy and a prominent (and unflinchingly flamboyant) gay character, for example. Are these aspects what might characterize it as a guilty pleasure for someone whose most public drama is the loss of a beloved stuffed animal and whose brain short-circuits when asked about a fellow idol’s gay stage antics?

“Don’t Stop Believing” has gotten an enormous boost of new popularity as a result of the Glee production, and rightfully so — the tune was ripe for covering, and the Glee arrangement and cast performance is fresh and exhilarating. YouTube has exploded with young performers jumping on the Journey bandwagon.

Try this one on for size:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIoSTbPt_PI

And here’s the original sequence from Glee:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDKFn9gwNC8

Happy 19th Birthday, David.

It’s hard to believe that this is the 2nd birthday we’ve celebrated with you. And the third one since your taped audition for American Idol. We’ve watched you grow and mature in so many ways, and yet, we’ve learned a lot from your innate wisdom over the last few years.

Here’s to you on your birthday – with hope that your wishes and dreams all come true – and that we are here to celebrate with you for many years to come.

Gabriel’s Message, by Sting.

[audio:http://www.thedavidchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/gabrielsmessage1.mp3]

LYRICS
The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
His wings as drifted snow, His eyes as flame.
“All hail,” said he. “thou lowly maiden Mary.”
Most highly favoured lady. Gloria! Glor-

“For known a blessed mother thou shalt be,
All generations laud and honor thee,
Thy Son shall be Emanuel, By seers foretold.”
Most highly favoured lady, Gloria! Glor-

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head.
“To me be as it pleaseth God,” she said,
My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name.”
Most highly favoured lady, Gloria! Glor-

Gabriel’s Message is from Sting’s holiday album, “If On A Winter’s Night.”  This album has songs that celebrate the winter season – not so much the chirpy mood of sliding down the hill on a sled, but more the cold, bleak winter of bare tree branches etched against the snow with a distant gray sky. This perhaps is a holiday album to celebrate the solstice, that turning of the planets from the darkest day of the year into the beginning of the light.  Many of these songs have an earthy richness that evokes the stark beauty of a crisp, bitter-cold day where you see your breath, and all you hear are your footsteps crunching in the snow.

Gabriel’s Message is a stand-out on the album. This song tells the story of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary.  Even though this event is part of the sacred Christian story, this song is far from the style of other traditional Christmas carols like Joy to the World or O Come All Ye Faithful. The words of the song tell a traditional Christmas story, but the minor melody and the simple, spare arrangement evoke a sense of humility and awe in the face of the grand and mysterious patterns of nature.

It is interesting to analyze what it is about this song that makes it so sophisticated and mesmerizing.  Certainly the instrumentation is key here.  A flugelhorn, with its warm, dark, bluesy timbre, opens the song with a languorous melody over a rhythmic guitar accompaniment and subtle claves.  The voice enters in a minor key with the lovely surprise of uneven phrase lengths.  The piece is basically in a 4/4 meter, the most common type of meter, but switches into a meter of three occasionally to great effect.  The beginning words: “The angel Gabriel from hea…” are in four, and then the words “…ven came” are in three.  This combination of four plus three creates a phrase length of seven beats, instead of the usual eight.  This unexpected metric complexity surprises and delights.  On “Gloria” two female voices are added in close harmonies that subtly evoke early music harmony with open fourth and fifth intervals.  The second “Glor-” doesn’t resolve, that is, it doesn’t come to a musical resting place, as Sting’s voice continues with the second verse.  This lack of resolution adds to a sense of uncertainty and mystery.

In the break, one and then two flugelhorns dance around each other in intertwining melodies that delicately rise in pitch to a harmonic resolution.  Succeeding verses add interest by adding more vocal harmonies and a touch of flugelhorn.  The last drawn out “Glor-” at last resolves to a musical resting place, and creates an ending to a thoroughly satisfying aesthetic experience.

David – are you listening?  This song tells a sacred Christmas story and acknowledges the dark and mysterious nature of that story.  The arrangement is sophisticated and subtle. Sting’s rough-hewn voice does this song great justice, but with your smooth, velvet voice the song would be a masterpiece.

~ davidfanLIZ

Tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern Billboardlive.com will broadcast David Archuleta singing live from the Foxwoods Resort. Some people have expressed concern about the technology being used, so I thought I’d give a little background on it and perhaps ease your mind when you get that download link from Billboardlive.com.

The plug-in used to manage the broadcast on your browsers is called Silverlight.  What is Silverlight?  According to Microsoft, “Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform and cross-device browser plug-in that helps companies design, develop and deliver applications and experiences on the Web. A free download that installs in seconds, Silverlight enables a new class of rich, secure and scalable cross-platform experiences.”

There are many other applications on the web that use Silverlight, and you may already have installed it on your computer for another site. The reason for using Silverlight is to provide a smooth streaming experience for high quality video.

Microsoft Installation says:

For Windows Internet Explorer users:

The browser will prompt you to either run or save the installation file (Silverlight.exe). Click Run to start the download. When the download is finished, the browser prompts you again to run the installer. Click Run to start the installation. Note that you must have sufficient administrative privileges to install Silverlight.

For Mozilla Firefox users:

Save Silverlight.exe to your hard disk. Once the download is finished, click Open. The installation starts.

Billboard says, “Music fans can select from five different views as they take in full concerts by these artists, focusing solely on the drummer or guitarist if they choose.

The site also allows visitors to use Twitter or Facebook during the Webcast without leaving the show. The application is also available on the iPhone. New concerts will be added through February.”

A little research turned up the fact that it takes over 50 people to run the session, with 5 streaming feeds and a complete sound mixing capability for between 70 and 80 channels from the stage.

A visitor to the set for the Daughtry Live Performance, Steve from Gearslutz.com said, “There were two video production trailers and a satellite truck. The trailer with the audio room also had the video control room in the rear. When I got there around noon the audio was just begining to be hooked up and the board (Calrec) patched etc. The video folks had set up two cameras behind FOH and had started to set up 4 more on the floor in front of the stage behind the bike racks. One of these was on a jib.

“As you can imagine pulling these wires and patching everything took several hours. The sound company (Clair) had already set up and they were busy programming lights and EQing the system. The light guy told me they had used 1008 channels. Eventually the preliminaries got done and Clair started their line check. Steve and his guys did another line check afterwards for his end. Sound check was at 4:00 and lasted about an hour after fixing a few things. Everyone was great to me including Steve’s guys and the video people. It was remarkable how Steve seemed to enjoy the pressure as time wound down. The less time there was the larger his smile got. I left after the sound check because the population of the trailer kept growing and I was really in the way sometimes.”

It sounds like an amazing undertaking. I’ll be watching, and I suspect, so will you!

~marlie

I had seen none of the Christmas Tour videos, and though I had been at a Meet & Greet during the AI Tour, this was my first VIP experience. I was particularly excited to meet David, and, knowing I would only have a few seconds, couldn’t wait until I asked him whether he had read a certain couple of poems that, you know, a rhyme a lot…

One thing about David is that, when he gets the chance to be comfortable, he resorts to being quite unflappably himself. He stepped out onto the stage to the sound of screams, stepped up to the microphone, and simply said hi. Completely unplanned, unrehearsed, he looked around and waited for random comments from the audience and asked some questions himself. I can see why “Works for Me” could be a theme song for him – he is never that much concerned about trying to “act like a star,” or like anybody else for that matter. He said he was soooo excited to be in San Francisco – one could feel oodles of Archulove toward my (lovely) hometown.

He sang “Touch My Hand,” and then followed up with a beautiful rendition of “White Christmas.” This song already has a beautiful, jazz-tinged melody, and, though he couldn’t remember (most!) of the words, he added different colors to his voice and made some improvisations that were so brilliant that he had us cheering. What a privilege to hear!

Then it was on to the picture taking! I had actually made myself the very first person in line because I had this crazy circumstance in which I had to run to a meeting in the East Bay and return in the middle of the concert. (Don’t ask! )

Well, I wasn’t exactly nervous walking up to him. My stress and sense of distraction actually had me focused on my singular concrete goal. I was going to ask him one question and see if he recognized Ronaldsf, that fan who has this weird rhyming obsession with David.

So as I’m walking up to David, he’s basically just looking around, smiling, singing very softly “Noel, Noel…”! So awesome that I caught him in a random singing moment! The he-always-sings legend is true! I then popped the question:

Me: “Have you ever heard of these two very long poems about you, that rhymed?”

David: “What?”

Security Guy: “Hurry! There’s a hundred people behind you!”

Camera Girl: “Come together!”

David smiles and sings “Come together!” (from the Beatles song), we turn to the camera.

And *Click*!

“Next!”

So yeah, I’m sorry to report: no Archugaze, no profound moment. More like confusion and a bright light. And he clearly hadn’t read the poems yet. Still, I learned from this bitter lesson that I’ll bring him the darn poems next time so he can see them for himself afterward. And it was also an unforgettable pleasure to have a moment with happy, spacey David.

Assault and battery

After running back from my meeting across the Bay, I walked into the theater while David was singing “Zero Gravity.” Having gotten my VIP ticket through Mikesd, I had to find him and Vermeer so I could sit next to them in the second row.

Well, once I eyed Mike I started to climb towards him. Yes – climbed. I was walking over the chairs because everybody was standing up bopping to David singing “Crush.” I realized I missed Mikesd and Vermeer by one row and had to climb over the chair in front of them to reach them.

In the meantime, this tall man sees me, and I apparently must be standing on his chair. How did I know? While I was gingerly trying to step over the chair to reach Vermeer, he was grabbing me with both hands and pushing me as hard as he could, trying to get me to trip and fall to the ground!

I thought I had met the worst David fans in Rockford, but no! He’s in San Francisco!

Battery (n): an intentional unpermitted act causing harmful or offensive contact with the “person” of another

Grimacing from the offensiveness of this lowly fan, I composed myself to enjoy the show. After all, “WWDD?” I told myself.

And then I beheld “Fields of Gold.” Something I noticed, now that I was up close, was how, while preparing for a slow song and the lights are down, he is closing his eyes, meditating, going to that “special place.” This is his process of transformation when he changes from Everyday David to being at one with the music. David has this way of being on his own wavelength, and it’s not just in music when he does this.

Well, I LOVED “Fields of Gold.” He was faithful to Eva’s interpretation (singing in almost the same high key!), and drew out those notes with all the intimacy and nuances he could bring with his voice. He has this ability to make his voice fragile and tender while at the same time full of power, and you feel it viscerally.

I gasped when David walked out for the second set in his suit, which I now see has been a staple at his Christmas shows. I assume you all have already had your spaz attacks? If I were him, I would wear a suit every day if he looks that good. Doing the laundry, jogging, you name it.

It was wonderful to have Lupe come onstage during “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” She is so proud of her son, and he is so proud of her – their love is palpable, and Lupe has a lovely voice. I loved her teasing way of making him dance with her, and she even asked someone in the audience if they wanted to join him.

It was clear that David was holding back on some of the most challenging notes, given that he was now performing a fourth night in a row. Still, he was able to bring the emotional connection and immediacy to his live performance that made this something quite different from the album. I enjoyed how, at the beginning of “Ave Maria”‘s beginning strains, many in the audience sat down as if in church to hear a hymn.

But not everybody was reverent. During “The First Noel,” for example, while David’s eyes were closed and he was clearly getting into singing about the birth of Christ, people were reaching out with their hands whenever he drew close to them. Um, helloo? He’s trying to picture to himself shepherds and fields, and here are several greedy hands reaching out to him from the black? I don’t think so.

Another (minor) complaint I had was something that probably can’t be solved – the audience cheering and loving his performances. No, no, no – I’m not saying that people should shut up. But so many of his songs were meant to end quietly and leave you with a lasting feeling of peace, but as soon as he started to enter the ending quiet passages, everyone erupted into cheers. I really wanted him to take me to that place, and then cheer afterwards.

Another stand out was “Riu Riu Chiu,” in which David slinked around the stage. I kept wondering what it was he reminded of, and then I realized he made me think of some graceful animal, like a tiger prowling across the savannah. Now, a certain American Idol judge thought David didn’t have tiger in him, but Simon clearly hadn’t seen David sing a Christmas song.

For me, my favorite of the concert was “Silent Night.” I sometimes find it difficult to get into a song at the moment – people may remember me not fully getting into the music until near the end of a recent concert – but with this I felt he brought me there even more than in his other performances. (It doesn’t hurt that it’s one of my very favorite tracks on the album, either.) I loved how he built up from the quiet, tender beginning to the heartfelt, pleading ending. That was the high point of the evening for me, and if I were to guess, for him to.

So that was the concert! And then I assume David spent the next day with family touring my (lovely) hometown of San Francisco. Perhaps here is a good place to post this mega-cute picture I found of David from when he previously visited Fisherman’s Wharf:

Loving San Francisco – Wish You Were Here!

Well, there’s my “quick” report! And I wanted to add finally that it was a real pleasure meeting everyone! I hadn’t seen anyone since last year’s Jingle Thingie in Sacramento, so it had been more than a year. Plus I met a lot of new people as well! I can’t wait to see you all again next time David comes around!

~ Ronaldsf

It wasn’t until I finally received  my physical CD and popped it into my surround sound stereo that I actually heard Christmas from the Heart.   David’s vocals boomed loudly and earnestly, with orchestral and synthesized instrumentals embellishing that one-of-a-kind Voice.  It was during the opening carol, “Joy to the World,” that I was truly transported.  In the lingo of Black church goers, David “took me to church” on this one.  It was during the “break down,” which routinely occurs in much of gospel and R&B songs that allow for vocal improvisation and free-styling, that got me in a spiritual mode.

“And wonders / and wooooooonders …. ooooooof / hi-i-i-is looooooooooooooove”

Gah! The lovely crevices and valleys that David’s vocals journey on that “love” note surpasses.

“Hi-i-is Looove / He rules the world with His truth and grace” (wow, I’m hearing that Kirk Franklin inspiration right here) … Fade out. *Swoon.*

This, my friends, is David “testifying,” and it’s such a grand testimony.  David is on fire towards the end of the song (indeed, a YouTube commenter describes David’s vocals at the end of JTTW as “sick,” and I’m inclined to agree).  Was David having a “Holy Ghost” moment? I would not be surprised because the boy was feeling it.

So, that’s the spiritual journey I’m on just from Track no. 1.  It’s during this time that I start reading the liner notes, and I think: “Aha! No wonder I’m feeling this way.” Have you all read David’s acknowledgements?

I first would like to thank God, who comes first in all of this.  It’s because of Him that I’ve gotten the chance to do something I love so much.  I dedicate this Christmas album especially to Him, and our Savior, Jesus Christ.  May it be another way I can give back to them, and to all those who listen to the songs as well so that they can feel the spirit and message within them.

Feel the spirit?  Did David just write that?

My mind is blown.  How old is he again, and how in heck did he wind up on American Idol and on Simon Fuller’s Jive record label?

He is scary, I’m telling you.  No wonder so many in the public try to dismiss him as some “teen pop star” or some “Disney tween.” They couldn’t handle the Voice if they didn’t.

Between David’s liner notes and his vocal skills, inspired by everything from gospel to classical to traditional hymns to Spanish ballads, which all get showcased on this album through one carol or another, it’s quite apparent how bold David has become in declaring his spiritual influences without being the least bit preachy.  He’s not trying to “convert.” He’s only trying to get us to “feel” it.

And we do “feel” it.  If I could rename this album, I would call it Christmas Lullaby, because David’s Voice elicits the feeling of one who is singing the Baby Jesus to sleep, as Rascal already noted in his review.  ”Hush, little Baby, don’t you weep.  For you are here to save the world with grace and love.”

That’s the mantra, the leitmotif as it were, on every song on this album – especially on the more soulful ballads, like “What Child is This” (a masterpiece in and of itself, from David’s trademark humming to the grand strings that enter the song), “Silent Night,” “Ave Maria,” and “O Holy Night.”  A bit more on “What Child is This”: as others have commented, specifically Raelovingangels, it’s as if David’s soft vocals capture the humility and simplicity of Baby Jesus tucked away in a manger while the orchestra signals in epic sweep how world-transforming this event has become.

Secular and non-Christian listeners can stand back in wonder at the Voice, while Christian listeners pick up on the nuances and subtleties.  (And I imagine Mormon listeners can detect other subtleties that non-LDSers would miss.)  Most effective are Kurt Bestor’s syncretization of numerous Christmas hymns, providing that subtext for the “spirit” of Christmas.  Whether it’s the echo of Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” slipping in on “Angels We Have Heard on High,” or “Carol of the Bells” intruding on the Spanish carol, “Riu Riu Chiu.”

This is a gorgeous call to worship, delivered by the Voice.  After giving us an album so profound, I cannot imagine the Voice going back to pop fluff.  His gifts are too precious, and his calling too great.  After CFTH, I look forward to David “taking us to church” through different genres of music – whether in an actual house of worship or just through our very bodies.  This is a soul meditation and one that might inspire us to contemplate the “true meaning” of Christmas and cut down on holiday expenses during a recession this coming Christmas season.  Well, except to gift everyone we know a copy of Christmas from the Heart.

~ HelloGorgeous

Archies, I know how you feel. David is simply amazing, and we want everyone else to know. His latest efforts with Christmas from the Heart confirm this. Yet, we must accept that our truly great artists are not going to be immediately accepted and adored on a mass scale. Heck, our greatest and most influential people in history – think Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. – were GUNNED DOWN. Heck, Jesus was CRUCIFIED!

Perspective, my peeps. I say this because I don’t know what’s more embarrassing: the knucklehead tone-deaf reviewers who give David’s Christmas from the Heart a bad review or the army of Archies who come out of the woodwork to leave hate-filled comments. Let’s all learn to be more like David and respond to the haters by simply IGNORING them. That’s what David would do. Heck, David would simply say in response to their negativity, “Gee, that’s unfortunate,” or “That’s too bad,” and move on.

Seriously, any review that begins by describing first David’s physical appearance that amounts to the belittling of how young he looks for his age is not a review that is based on the music. It’s based on his image, which they think is “uncool” and so, no way, no how is that reviewer going to have a heart that grows seven sizes like the Grinch. It just ain’t gonna happen.

So, let’s ignore the haters. Pity them, yes, for clogging up their eardrums for no other reason than that they don’t want to admit to a “former American Idol’s” genuine talent, but honestly, leaving negative comments only proves their point that you have to be an insane cult-like Archie fan to like David’s music.

One day, they too will see the light, but in the mean time, you can’t force the cave-dwellers to come out of the darkness. They must desire the light on their own.

Meanwhile, let’s go back to “dissecting away” at some of these awe-inspiring gems on the album.

Another great selection: O Holy Night.

Not sure why this track hasn’t topped the Archie polls, but after What Child is This and Riu Riu Chiu, it is his most accomplished vocally.

- HelloGorgeous

(Thank you, HG! We invite people to comment at the original article over at SoulDavid – Eds.)

The first half of the CD is filled with “ye olde classics” such as Joy to the World, Silent Night and O Come All Ye Faithful arranged with orchestrated classical strings and a prom style performance. The second half ventures more into a cut back, groovier take on Christmas songs featuring more modern and unusual Christmas tunes. There is a nice variation between the old and the new, the traditional and the modern, and the lavish and the restrained. Christmas From the Heart is a fantastically balanced album truly possessing something for everyone.

Each track has its own moments of vocal magic. Silent Night demonstrates that soft fuzzy quality to his voice better than any other song I have heard him sing, whilst O Holy Night and Ave Maria enable David to take the bull by the horns and belt.  David manages to capture the spiritual heart of each song so wonderfully, enhancing the beauty of Silent Night and elevating the joy in The First Noel, to name just a couple of songs. Joy to the World lets David put his take on a very traditional Christmas tune and inject some big vocals. O Holy Night gradually ascends into an epic collision of beautiful melody and David’s voice, accompanied by a full orchestra.  This is a track not for the faint of heart. Truly epic.

Towards the latter end of the CD we encounter some more unusual songs with a more modern sound.  Two personal highlights of the album include Pat a Pan, a rather unexpected pleasure, and Riu Riu Chiu. The former includes a snippet of French and the latter is sung entirely in Spanish. Pat a Pan begins with a cheeky little melody but emerges into a grooving soft rock song with some superb dramatic string work and an energetic chord progression. Riu Riu Chiu plays off a simple melodic hook but continues to build to an absolutely superb climax. Spanish is such a wonderful language and David performs this song with strong emotion and understanding.

A jazzy duet with Charice Pempengco, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, sits as a highlight of the album.  David has a chance to display his wonderful blues/soul intuition. The two voices blend wonderfully, and Charice shows tasteful restraint. Not quite sure why, but memories of Aladdin and Jasmine spring to mind when listening to this song. Maybe A Whole New World should be next on the list?! Haha.

Ave Maria is one of the most commonly covered songs ever sung. It has been performed by the truly, truly great, and thus is subject to critical comparisons.  It has the ability to pack a powerful spiritual punch but must be executed to perfection in order to do so. David’s vocal performance on this track is nothing short of a masterpiece. At 18 years of age? What can you say, really?

The final track on the album is an original song, Melodies of Christmas. This song is the link the between the debut album and the current CD. The radio beat and simple hook make this track the best one to represent the album. Overall, I like the song. It has a decent melody and chord progression. It gets a little hectic towards the end and the lyrics are a little cheesy but hey, it’s Christmas, so maybe in December I’ll be able to let that pass. David brings an uplifting sense to this song, which I think will go down well when the time is right.

The album ticks a lot of boxes here. Vocally, I think the album is a masterpiece and I haven’t heard a major label commercial release with awesome singing for a very long time. One major box I felt was un-ticked by the first album was the production value. In an earlier review, I raised major concerns with the sound, cohesion and direction of the production of the first CD, but I feel this album is a huge step forward. I was fearful that the orchestras would sound tacky, but was surprised at the lavish sound.  David’s voice sounds pure and the arrangements are, with a few exceptions, tasteful yet powerful.

There is something here for everyone. Some will enjoy the more traditional and orchestrated sound, and others will take more of a shine to the stripped-back modern stuff.  Leaving the merits of the concept aside, the album delivers in the quality. Christmas songs may not be what everyone wants David to do, but in terms of quality, the album merits itself as a very worthy Christmas album. David is growing, you can hear it both technically (Ave Maria’s climax note) and also stylistically (I’ll Be Home for Christmas). The future is looking brighter and brighter and the journey is still young, but I can say for sure – this is a very strong stepping stone along David’s path.

~chenson

(For those few people who don’t know him, chenson is a college student studying music,  and lives in the south of England.  He has hopes of becoming a session musician and writer, and has followed David pretty much since week one of AI.)

Christmas songs are like chocolate mousse, intense and rich.  A little bit goes a long way.  The tasty morsels in Christmas From the Heart are strong experiences, not music that you play in the background at a party. This is music that demands your whole, undivided attention.

It can be left to others to look at the big picture and to put this album into perspective in terms of David’s career.  I’ve chosen to take the small view and to look at only two songs – those two songs that I was most excited to hear.

O HOLY NIGHT

Many of us have strong memories of O Holy Night from the Los Angeles Tree Lighting ceremony last December. This was the first time for many of us when that song came alive; it was the first time that those words and melodies seared our souls.  Remember the chills at “Fall on your knees” (1:38)?  Remember those extra few notes and the added passion on the word “night” (4:42)?  Remember that high note on “Noel” – pure and clear and glorious (4:55)?

Burdened or blessed by those intense memories, any subsequent version is bound to be compared and contrasted.  The Christmas album version, unfortunately, seems a bit overblown, and oddly, a bit flat.  In Los Angeles there was a rawness, a passion and immediacy to David’s singing that isn’t quite there in the recorded version. This of course may simply be the difference between a live performance and a recording.  The audience connection, that energy David seems to thrive on, is missing in the studio. But the main complaint is the overblown arrangement.  This should be the mantra for anyone working with David: less is more, less is more, less is more.  Come on guys, tone down the surging strings – this Voice doesn’t need it. Just let him sing with as little accompaniment as possible.  The perfect example of this aesthetic is his recent masterpiece, Contigo en la Distancia.  An elegant but understated guitar accompaniment left David room to fill the entire emotional space of the song with just his voice.

AVE MARIA

What can I say about Ave Maria? After I listened to it the first time I was completely spent, slayed, emotionally undone.  Listening to that song took everything out of me.  David took me up to the clouds and we floated together in pure bliss.  And the children’s voices only added to the heavenly experience.

David apparently spent five hours recording Ave Maria. As he said in a recent article, it is not an easy song to sing.  Those interval leaps and high notes would be challenging to any highly trained singer.  David somehow manages to enter this classical music world with confidence and clarity of purpose.  This song is far removed from the pop genre that has been his bread and butter for the past year, but he conquers all.   His voice is pure and unearthly in its power and beauty. He opens up with full warmth on the high notes. His low notes caress and comfort. When he repeatedly sings the words “Sancta Maria” he conjures up all the motherly love from the universe, and surrounds you with the peace of residing within that love. And then there is the surprise of a little pop-style melisma, elegant and subtle. There’s a catch in his voice just before the second “Amen.” This is the David we know and love from Contigo, with just a dash of the pop David, combining to create something of exquisite and intimate beauty.

~ davidfanLIZ

Thanks to Jennifer Barry for the photos & photo etchings. <3