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I couldn't find the good folks at Jive, because they neglected to leave an email address lying around, so I paid full price for David Archuleta's new chart topper. Now, there's no law that says critics should always be spoon fed, but having to buy the CD always puts me in a nasty mood. So, it was a darned good thing that Mr. Archuleta (may I call him David?) began with a sweet, unadorned rendition of Joy to the World. What a pure, mesmerizing vocalist!

Yes, I am just getting the tweet on David Archuleta. I didn't watch most of last season's American Idol, having discontinued after watching Paula ice that poor fellow that was just wishing the judges a nice day in Southern, when he answered their rejection with the common rejoinder "Y'all be careful." I'm sure Paula still has to petition the court for lots of restraining orders and all, but feigning fright over "Be careful"? Get a grip, Paula!

I digress. And anyway, David Archuleta is from a couple of seasons back, the one season I pretty much watched all the way through. Seems like he came in second, but he's still an American Idol in my book.

Archuleta could have done any number of things on this record that would have annoyed me: Gimmicky, star-studded Christmas CDs designed to make a few bucks with some public domain songs and a vocoder; bring the entire project in with 11 songs at just under 27 minutes; you know, the sort of holiday album that just sort of phones it in. But he didn't do any of those things. (Well, he did include Silent Night, which is a definite faux pas in my book, but he offset this affront by including his sweet original Melodies Of Christmas (co-written with Z. Picante)). And he included that stunning rendition of O Holy Night, that completely stopped the world for me. Pick me up off the floor, Scotty: I'm stunned!

In short, David could have disappointed me, because I was sort of hoping to be disappointed. But his Christmas record did all the right things: a slough of high-powered producers, a second slough of stellar musicians who played just the right number of hooks, 13 songs, 56 minutes, no gimmicks, just a sweet, pop vocalist doing what he does better than almost anybody on the planet. All that, and that cool duet with Charice Pempengco. (I could just say 'Charice Pempengco' over and over. Charice Pempengco. Charice Pempengco. Charice Pempengco.

So, somebody hit me with a rubber mallet if I get all petulant and pouty over having to buy the latest pop CD. (The little runner-up better autograph the durned thing, though, if I run into him at the mall.) David Archuleta's Christmas from the heart is fun for the whole family!

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2009)

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From the liner notes:

David Archuleta - lead and background vocals
Emanuel Kriakou - keyboards, bass, electric guitar, percussion, programming
Doug Petty - piano, Rhodes, organ
Jeff Bova - strings and string instruments
Kurt Bestor - piano, synthesizer, programming
Michael Dowdle - guitar
Richard Parkinson - piano
Sam Cardon - synthesizer, programming
Lysa Rytting - harp
Todd Sorenson - percussion
Jim England - drums, percussion
Charice Pempengco - harmony vocals
Dorian Crozier - drums
John Hancock - synthesizer, programming
Rich Dixon - guitar
Craig Poole - bass
Daron Bradford - solo woodwinds
Jim Hardy - cello solo
Scott Wiley - guitar
Rob Honey - bass
Jemmy Frogley and David Osmond - background vocals

The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Conducted by Kurt Bestor
Christi Ellingson - French pronunciation assistance
Jeff Archuleta - vocal/Spanish production

David Archuleta

Christmas from the Heart

Artist link

Track List