By Matt Scotto
2008 "American Idol" runner-up David Archuleta released his self-titled debut album on Tuesday. The singer's first single, "Crush," was released during the summer, and it soon saw massive radio airplay. Archuleta keeps a consistent style throughout the album, which is undoubtedly pop-rock. "Touch My Hand" is a catchy mid-tempo track with guitars and heavy keyboard work that carries Archuleta's smooth vocals. "Barriers" adds R&B elements to the mix, along with a powerful, ballad-like chorus that make it one of the stand-outs.
Probably one of the best songs on the album is "My Hands," with creative lyrics and a catchy, if slightly annoying, chorus. The true ballads are "You Can" and "To Be with You." These are mediocre at best, with "You Can" being slightly better than the latter. It's sappy, but the real problem is that the song doesn't use Archuleta's strong vocals. "You Can" is sweetly written, but doesn't do him any favors. "To Be With You" isn't exactly an upgrade; the lyrics are a little tacky, and overall the song can just put someone to sleep.
The main concern of this album is that it's repetitive. Credit is given for catchy hooks, but after listening to its entirety, it almost feels as if it was all just the same one. "Desperate" can be best described as an electro-ballad. A mixture of synths, piano and guitar are used. Unfortunately, Archuleta doesn't pull it off.
"Don't Let Go" sounds like an exact rip-off of Coldplay's popular tune "Clocks." From the piano riffs to the way David sings each verse, it screams "Coldplay" from the first ten seconds of the song.
Archuleta then turns to country-jazz for inspiration in "Your Eyes Don't Lie," which utilizes whistling, acoustic guitars and a foot stomping beat. This is a great song and a personal favorite. The last track is a stale and poorly sung cover of "Angels," originally recorded by Robbie Williams. The song is completely random and out of place; Archuleta should have left it off the album.
Overall, the album is just okay. Is it great? No. Is it horrendous? Not necessarily. David Archuleta did exactly what was expected of him: nothing less, nothing more.
2 Stars