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I haven’t written much about the studio recordings because for the most part I don’t really like them. They rotate the kids through the studio as quickly as they can and it always sounds it. The cuts from a technical standpoint are generally professional (although some of my audio engineering colleagues have even questioned that aspect), but they invariably feel rushed and incomplete from an artistic standpoint. You can’t really win with this Idol set up: The live performances are better but too brief, while the studio performances are longer but fall far short of their potential.
In David’s case, my feeling has always been that he just hasn’t had the benefit of the right studio producer, one who knows what he’s capable of and how to get it. The energy of a live audience is enough to drive the dynamics of his performance into a realm of intensity that he has yet to achieve in the studio. David’s current tendency seems to be to “lay back into the lovely,” with his instrument, and although possibly a wise tactic in the midst of a long competition where vocal stress is a constant risk, it nevertheless compromises his power in the studio; on the bigger songs especially.
What we hadn’t really had until Think if Me was a song of such intimacy that David’s current studio tendencies really pay off. It was difficult at first to get past the insanely sentimental arrangement–complete with overdone glissandos, sappy violins, and a freakin’ harp for God’s sakes (I think a hiring criterion for American Idol arrangers must be a predilection for extra cheese)–but gradually I was able to appreciate what David himself had accomplished with this one, and it is quite remarkable.
His voice has never sounded better. Clear, rich, resonant, and in a strange way both round and sharp. There isn’t a hint of labor in this performance. Like Fred Astaire, whose legendary commitment to practice and craft made his flawless performances seem so utterly effortless, David sings as though a pure conduit for the plaintive heart of the song. He channels the music more than he performs it.
Ironically, though perhaps not surprisingly, David’s musical crafting is much smarter than the arrangement. The sophistication of his musical intelligence might be most evident in the melodic variations from “imagine me, trying too hard…” (at 1:43) through to “…think of those things we’ll never do…” (2:01). With all the riffing and melisma going on in popular music today, it is extremely challenging to come up with unexpected choices, but David does it with an unerring ear for restraint.
I was gratified to learn in a recent interview with Dean Kaelin, David’s voice coach, that David and his team were not terribly thrilled with the arrangement, either. They had apparently been lobbying for a jazzier, more contemporary treatment. Doesn’t surprise me in the least, and gives me hope that when the industry gets a hold of him, that he won’t capitulate his instincts to their greed. David must have had at least some impact on the ultimate approach used for the live performance (which comes after the studio recording in the weekly production sequence), because Tuesday night’s arrangement was perceptibly less saccharine than the studio version (note the dissonance added to the guitar intro for starters).
It’s incredibly easy to go overboard with R&B-rooted genre stylings but David never does (even despite encouragements in that direction from notable producers like Randy Jackson). David has what so many gifted entertainers often lack: taste. I’m convinced this is the reason that his detractors find him “boring.” These are the same people who find boring the sumptuously subtle in any artistic form. These are the people, God bless them, who don’t even notice something unless it’s completely over-the-top. There is plenty of bombast in American popular entertainment today. I’ll take my David Archuleta without all the extras, thanks.
I am so very glad that David has found a fan in you, rascal, who is able to verbalize what most of us notice by instinct but are not able to pinpoint in such thoughtful detail. I was very shocked at Simon’s comment on his performance of “Think of Me” of it being “pleasant yet forgettable” Tuesday night, and of it being one of his weakest so far, and I realized then that Idol cannot possibly be a place to rear the true “musical soul”. I was afraid at first about David’s ability to concoct arrangements of his own for song covers, because I’ve only seen significant change to “Imagine” and “Shop Around”. “Think of Me” banished all the fear away, his musical taste really is something that encompasses what Idol is about.
absolutely spot on. What you say is 100% true. Great Job!
“These are the people, God bless them, who don’t even notice something unless it’s completely over-the-top.”And therein lies the reason why I haven’t really bought too much music in the last 8 years. DA will be someone that I will look forward hearing his new releases.
I also feel that the studio versions don’t shine like his live performances, but I love playing them over and over. They draw me in and I love the feeling I get when listening.
Dear Rascal,
This is a wonderfully refreshing site full of insight and sensitivity to the phenomenon which is David Archuleta.
I wonder if David or his family members are reading your site? Is there any indication of this? I hope that they are aware of it.
Also, I wish to add that the conclusion of Think of Me was most dramatic and moving. “There will never be a day that I won’t think of you.” The way he sang this last line of the lyric twice was breathtaking. There is a proverb that goes like this: What truly comes out of one’s heart, enters the heart When David A sings, his heart speaks to our hearts.
I agree with your musings about David. I think there are two things that really set David apart (besides that exquisite voice) and they are an inate musicality that is uniquely his own and the depth of emotion and tenderness he brings to his songs. I believe he may very well end up becoming an amazing songwriter as well as an incredible performer.
I’m constantly surprised by how deeply his songs touch me. It’s like his songs connect our hearts with his. I feel these things--insane talent, rare and unique musicality, and depth of feeling--portend great success for David.
Thank you for the fantastic job you’re doing lauding and critiquing the phenomenon that is young David.
OH MYYYYYYY, Rascal, it was about time I got a 5 minutes to check you’re website…..
Like I imagine it would be : SUPERBBBBBBBB, at ur image my friend……
Happy to know that you are still here for us Archies..
Love you ans miss u… HUGS
rascal, I have always liked David’s live performances better than the studio recordings and now I know why. Thanks for this column. I of course will buy anything David puts out but I do hope after Idol he gets someone who understands exactly what he wants to do and produces it properly. I love reading your column!
make that your not you’re ( I’m not sure you are a website lol)
I listen to the studio versions and truly enjoy them and had similar thoughts to what you just described. Glad to have them confirmed. David conveys his greatness in his music even though the Idol studio versions are not meant to produce the best.
The subtlety of his artistry is what I find most beautiful; I loved the comparison to Fred Astaire and also in another commentary, Frank Sinatra. David is a legend in the making and what a privilege to see it unfold.
I was very happy to find you here after reading your posts at Ricky’s. I was wondering if you have ever listened to DA’s “Joyful, Joyful” youtube partial performance from when he was younger? I love his voice then and now!
hey rascal….just love reading your articles, as always I appreciate your insight into David’s ‘musical soul’. I miss you and I miss our ‘ole gang, so much radom bursts of laughter. Luv and angel hugs!
Thank you for articulating what so many of us intuitively sense but cannot necessarily express. While I appreciate the fact that AI brought David to the public, at this point I can’t help but feel that he has already “outgrown” the show (with it’s contrived drama and artistry-stunting themes). The brilliant nuances and subtleties of his “Think of Me” were almost lost in the 3-ring circus atmosphere that is AI.