Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 11/11/2008
American Idol seventh season runner-up
David Archuleta was the same age as
Jordin Sparks, the season six winner, but he always seemed much, much older -- a creature from a different era, a time where
Up with People peacefully merged with the sound and sensibility of the pre-
Nirvana '90s. Modernity seemed foreign to
Archuleta, which wouldn't prevent his success in
American Idol, a show that lives in a permanent oldies fantasia where it's still rebellious to sing
the Allman Brothers some 35 years after their breakthrough. While rebellion is anathema to
Archuleta, there's no doubt that the kid is sweet, something that shone through on the show, and he manages to sidestep saccharine pitfalls through much of his eponymous debut -- delivered six months after
AmIdol season seven drew to a close. The producers keep him away from anything rhythmic through most of
David Archuleta, with only the overly busy rhythm tracks distinguishing this as a 2008 release.
Archuleta does sing well -- maybe not with a sense of storytelling, but as a highly coached performer who can hit the marks with accuracy.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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