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

The release of Somos El Mundo has spawned increased interest with TheArchulator. YouTube, Twitter & other online uploads have been peppered with comments and questions about him. I have read some unflattering remarks about the video or about certain artists or some complaints about not seeing other more internationally known Hispanic celebrities. But, I have yet to encounter a negative feedback specific to David.

Comments about him are heartwarming, some hilarious and a number, surprising — like not knowing he has Hispanic roots. Depending on which version of the video you are checking out, you invariably see inquiries about the guy at 2:30 or 2:11 or 2:36 or 2:44 or 4:20 or 6:19, etc… and they all point to him!

Alguien me podria decir quien es el jovencito de ojos verdes del min 2:30 al 2:36? Mil gracias (Can someone tell who is the green-eyed boy of 2:30 to 2:36 min? Thanks a lot!)

Alguien me puede decir quien es el chico que canta al minuto 2:31? Me encanta su voz, pero no tengo idea de quien es. Ayuda porfa!! (Can someone tell me who is the guy who sings at minute 2:31? I love his voice, but I have no idea who he is. Help please!!)

This sounds better! Electric guitar has a much better… I like Archuleta singing, I didn’t realize he is also Latino ..

Quien es el que canta al 2:30? Despues de Juan Luis G…. (Who is that singing at 2:30? After Juan Luis G…)

Sorprendida me hallo de que David Chuleta de repente me resulte tan lindo! (I got surprised when I suddenly heard David Chuleta’s voice he is so cute!

Quien es el chavo que sale en el 2 30 canta muy bien. Diganme please (Who is the kid who comes in 2 30 who sings very well. Please tell me)

Un a david archuleta! Ese niño es precioso y canta divino (Ah david archuleta! That child is beautiful and sings divine

Ustedes me podrian desir quien es el chico de 2:32 (You might like to help – I’d like to know who is the guy at 2:32)

…me encanta david archuleta es el mejor y tambien ricardo montaner! (I love David Archuleta, he is the best and also, Ricardo Montaner

Definitivamente mala, mala, mala.. pero Olga TaÑon y Jose Feliciano, el chico 2:31 y La de 5ta estación se votan. (Definitely bad, bad, bad .. except for Olga Tanon and Jose Feliciano, the boy in 2:31 and the 5th season voted on.

Quien es el de ojos claros? (Who is the clear eyed?)

Hola soy de Brasil y me encanto la version. Alguien puede decirme por favor quien eres el nino de ojos azul que canta una parte como solista? Me encanto su voz!!!! (Hi I’m from Brazil and I love the version, can someone please tell me who is the blue-eyed boy who sings a solo part? I love his voice!!

2:32..i wanna know his name..

His name is David Archuleta. I didn’t even know he spoke Spanish. The cover sounds really nice.

Quien es el del minuto 2:30 m gushhta

David Archuletta. Es el que gano american idol hace un ano creo y normalmente canta en ingles (David Archuletta is the american idol who won a year ago and usually sings in English)

El de min:2:30, es David Archuleta, del american idol?? Si es asi me encanta que este alli, aunque no sabia que cantaba en español, me encanto la parte de belinda, luis fonsi, kany garcia, espectacular!! ah! y Jhon secada!!! At 2:30, that’s David Archuleta?? If yes, then I love that he is there, but did not know he sings in Spanish, I also love the part of Belinda, Luis Fonsi, Kany Garcia, spectacular! ah! and Jhon Secada!)

Es curioso cómo nadie sabe David Archuleta es latino. Su apellido significa “Porkchop” en ESPAÑOL. Así que si usted nació en los EE.UU. no es latino?? Él es un cantante increíble, él y Luis Fonsi se robó todo para mí. Increíble!! (Funny how nobody knows David Archuleta is Latino. His surname means “Porkchop” in SPANISH. So if you were born in the U.S. non-Latino? He is an incredible singer, Luis Fonsi him and stole everything for me. Incredible!)

La mejor parte es del chico hondureño americano creo q es David Archuleta muy buen cantante (The best part is the Honduran boy American I think David Archuleta is very good singer)

@Songbird6282 el David ARchuleta es el niño que sale en el minuto 2.30 ? o quién es ese niño? podrías decirme por favor?? (@ Songbird6282 The David Archuleta is the child exiting the minute 2.30? or who is this kid? could you tell me please?)

En cambio @DavidArchie (Archuleta de Idol) le pone todo su corazón. (In contrast, @DavidArchie [Archuleta from Idol] puts his entire heart into it — twitted by Jonathan Blum, Director E! Entertainment TV Latin America.)

God who’s the babe who sings after Juan L. Guerra…he’s fine!!

So, will this prompt David’s Management & Jive put a more concerted effort to reach out to the huge, rich Hispanic market? Or at least seriously consider a Spanish album soon? Whatever the case, am just happy that new markets out of the AI frontier is discovering or re-discovering that guy @ 2:30 — our guy!

Have you ordered the song and video from iTunes? Let us not forget what Somos El Mundo is all about A restful weekend to all!

jackryan4DA

ps: In case you are looking for Somos-El-Mundo related images & videos, inclusive of Univision’s, you can download from HERE

” DAVID…LOOK WHAT YOU INSPIRED US TO DO!!!”

Last fall, a group of fans got together trying to come up with alternative gifts to give David for Christmas and his birthday! They wanted to come up with something that may have a lasting impression, and would show David the love that he always shows to his fans. Brainstorming began….

The seed was planted…it has grown, changed and has been nourished by many of David’s fans working together to make this happen. We want this to be a gift from ALL fans around the world. Therefore……….

~~~WE ARE PLEASED AND HONORED TO ANNOUNCE~~~

The David Archuleta Music Scholarship

David has done so much for his fans.  We would like to honor him by showing our
support for this wonderful cause ….gifting talented students with scholarships to encourage them to keep the music alive.

Each year the music scholarship(s)  will be awarded to a senior student(s) from David’s
home town high school:   Murray High School, in Murray Utah.  These will be given to those who have plans of furthering their education in Music.

Please join us and Help Give Back to David by gifting  Murray High School Students!!!
by donating to:

‘THE DAVID ARCHULETA MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP’

Visit our web site at www.thedavidarchuletamusicscholarship.org and check out our web page for all the details.

Your donation, large  or small, will help fund higher education,
keep music alive, and honor David…all at the same time.

You are all invited to participate.!!
All donors  names, city and state, will be included in a journal that will be given to David.
(The donation amount WILL NOT BE INCLUDED)

Fans let’s all put our hearts together and show David some love!!!

Please !!!
WE  ‘Can’t Let The Music Stop’!

DAVID’S FAN’S

It is the same thing with his upcoming autobiography, Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance.

Look at that picture! Ageing becomes David (although I would have loved some warmer colors in the typography). He was this chubby-cheeked doe-eyed cutie pie in AI but towards the finale, he lost so much weight but still retained the cherubic aura.

Now, his face has lost it roundness. The last two years has given way to angles and a jaw line. But even with a more purposeful pair of lips, a deeper voice and more pronounced muscularity, his eyes – yes, his hazel-brown Spanish eyes – remain clear, yielding.

But don’t get fooled with the apprehensive, compliant-like demeanor. If people think they can put a stick in between his wheels but cannot stop his motivation, then nothing will.

Case in point: his DLTSGDOM performance. We all know what he had to put up with, on the way to the finale.

Just when you think he has given his all, he comes back stronger, more admirable and more loveable than ever.

Henceforth, it was Trust The Archulator.

For David’s strength lies not in brute or force. His strength shines through his quiet dignity, soft statement of directness, respectful perseverance and quirky sense of humor.

David seems to take a page from Yajur Veda’s philosophy.

One should always aspire for increments of strength, food and long life because each of them is dependent on the other.

David has shown us how he builds on from his early wins, slowly creating ripples of triumphs that have enormous potential of sustainability. Food? Hmmm, isn’t that a dominant item already in his twits and blogs? LOL

Kidding aside, what I find most touching is his earnest desire to share his gift for any bit of possibility that his sharing could help someone, someway. This may be the spirit behind the book. Some may question the decision to come out with a book at this stage of his career or of his young life. But for me, that doesn’t necessarily reveal a weakness in the process. On the contrary, it stresses how strong the choice is. And how consistent with David’s expressed priorities.

If nothing else, David is a true-blue millennial artist – a contemporary bilingual musician who uses a wide range of media to communicate his art and his values across genre, age and cultures.

What’s more, David takes steps to engage his audience and fans in his journey. He twits, he b/vlogs, he networks, he delivers speeches (who would have thought?!), he even consults us for his haircut And now he writes.

David leverages his art to spread a little bit of good with others. It would appear that this is almost always his bottom line. Is it any wonder that his fans’ affection and respect for him develops from strength to strength?

David at the Miami Charity Event

And rightfully so. Because David, at his young age, has displayed a keen sense of the fine art of growing in grace and truth. This is quite challenging especially in the very fickle and unforgiving world of entertainment. I am confident that he will continue to do so with the passing years, as he carries on in pursuit of his infectious love for music and humanity.

Chords of Strength, available for pre-order now from Amazon; Out May 4, 2010.

- jackryan4DA

This is a picture of David that does him justice. Finally, a cover that shows the depth in his eyes, and his thoughtful nature in his expression. Even his clothes look like he picked them out himself rather than some stylist that was trying to make him into a tough-guy or an innocent. Enjoy!

See the original performance set to Eva Cassidy

- ronaldsf

This version is to my mind more moving than the professional remake. The young, unfamiliar faces with remarkable vocal talent will remind many of the welcome surprises of Idol, and somehow the “we” in We Are the World attains a rather more collective commonality in the hands and hearts of the these uncelebrated artists.

Bonus: The adorable boy who opens the piece (much sweeter and more appealing than Justin Bieber, IMO) has a track on his own YouTube channel that all of you are likely to recognize…

When David sings a cover of a song, he invariably does it better than the original. It must be uncomfortable to have David take on one of your songs, to see the way he makes it his own, adding a run or a softening an edge to make it just right. That’s his gift.

So let’s take a musical journey, and look back at the songs David has performed that he has made more beautiful, or more fun, or more emotional – because that’s what he does. And we’ll move way past his American Idol days and begin with his Solo Career. These won’t be in order because I’m picking the video that you can hear over the screaming.  So just jump along with me back and forth through time.

Apologize by One Republic – I really like this song, and Ryan Tedder’s voice has an interesting breathy quality. But I love it when David lets loose with this even more. Let’s view the version that David performed in his summer tour. There is a sadness in his eyes when he sings this song here, and many speculated that he had his own personal reasons for singing it. But you can see real emotion in David’s eyes when he sings any song. He has the ability to make us believe that he has lived the lyrics of the song, no matter what they are. If he sang about taking a trip to the moon, I’d believe him.

Angels by Robbie Williams – It is hard to separate this song from David at all – or to even remember that someone else wrote it. When David sang it on AI, it was the first opportunity for him to stay at the piano and sing the whole song while playing. Then during his AI tour, with his emotional and intense rendition, he made the song his own. Now,  even when David plays his electronic piano and sings this song all by himself, it is full and rich and still can bring many of us to tears.

Stand By Me by Ben E. King – Of all the songs that David sings, I think this one shows off his swagger better than any. And we love a little ArchuSwagger with our music, don’t we?!?  Manila loved it, too.

The Medley – One by U2, , Gotta Be by, Love Song by Sara Barielles, I’m Yours by Jason Mraz When David pulled this medley out of his hat in Virginia Beach at his first solo concert, the crowd went crazy.  David’s voice combined with the song One, by U2 caused some of his ardent fans to start a campaign for him to sing the whole song. They even delivered the letters to him personally. I suspect we all still hope he’ll have a chance to perform the whole song in the future. In the meantime, we got to hear a little snippet at the start of this Medley .

Bubbly by Colbie Caillat This was a fabulous surprise for many of us when David sang this for the first time at the summer concert in Pittsburgh. And though the song as sung by Colbie Caillat has some interesting sexual undertones, David seems to be able to sing the whole thing with a kind of lightness and laughter and purity. Go figure.

Fields of Gold by Sting Is there anything that can be said about David’s performance of this song that hasn’t been said? No. So, just enjoy it once again.

The Riddle by Five for Fighting The first time David sang this song, I wasn’t sure he’d made a good choice. His performance, although never weak, was tentative. David seemed to hold back, to keep his powerful voice in check. Perhaps it was nerves, perhaps he wasn’t sure he’d remember the words. In any case, with a bit of practice he took this song and made it his own.

Prayer of the Children by Kurt Bestor This song was made for David. With his ability to use his voice to render both gentle tenderness and desperate anguish, David makes us feel the prayer of the children. Who can listen to this without knowing the deep conviction David has for those less fortunate than himself.

~Marlie

Do you know whose AVI this is?

For a long time now, Jackryan4Da, otherwise knows as JR, has been an integral part of this site, keeping the concert pages updated almost as fast as the videos appeared on YouTube. Through thick and thin she has been here, working and commenting, creating media files and sharing her incredible ability to sniff out the best videos and audios with us.

Recently, JR accepted an invitation to be a part of our Admin Team and will be writing for us in the near future as well. We look forward to having her join us. She has been an active commenter since the NotingDavid days, and even before that she was a participant at Snarky Archies. But JR was one of the fans who also has been with David since the very beginning. Hollywood week, you ask?  No, she’s been with David since Star Search days.

I spotted David long before AI.  It was actually during his Talent Search days.  It was shown here in Manila because he was competing with an MJ sounding Pinoy kid (who eventually became the winner).  I knew then that he had sumthin’-sumthin’ going on when he belted out a soulful Who’s Lovin’ You.  Season 1 of AI, I remembered him and wondered when he will join — see how much impact and impression he left with me?   So I have been an arch angel when ODD and OTT were not fashionable terms yet haha!

Even though she was able to see David live in Manila, she has just one regret:

“Despite being here for 6D/5N — probably the longest that he has ever stayed in one venue — I, along with all Pinoy angels, have not been privileged to see him upclose in a true-blue M&G.  This remains a dream.

Welcome, JR – and thank you for the work you’ve already done to keep TDC vibrant and up-to-date on David’s performances. We look forward to your voice here on TDC.

~ Freo, Liz, Marlie, Rascal, Ronald (and now, JR!)

THE DAVID CHRONICLES IS…

• A place where there are no hard rules on what may or may not be discussed. The musical, spiritual, personal, social, and political aspects of David are all open for comments.
• A refuge for those who have otherwise felt overly restricted elsewhere. Individuals are encouraged to express their love for David in their own manner, while being tolerant of the expression of others who may do so quite differently.
• A place to champion David, but also to critically analyze his work and his business organization, to enjoy the occasional joke at his expense or the OTT remark about his physical appeal.

And so this declaration ends. Now on to the work and joy of being a fan of David Archuleta.