[NEW RELEASES] David Archuleta

The world seems to be crazy about talent shows these days. Even in Korea, the recent end to the second season of the nation’s very own version of “American Idol” and “Britain’s Got Talent” - “Superstar K” - has worked to bring fame to a diamond in the rough.

David Archuleta is one of the successful results of these programs. In the seventh season of American Idol, the young artist became the program’s youngest contestant. In the following year, 2008, he finished the competition as the runner-up.

In his newly released second album, “The Other Side of Down,” Archuleta’s sugary voice is accompanied by light pop beats. The sound is not all that different from his previous album, “David Archuleta” (2008), which was also very bubbly. But his talents do seem to have developed.

While the first album emphasized his boyish charm, in the new album he sounds like a professional. Although he hasn’t diverged much from his original sound, that may work in his favor as he develops his own style.

He does give fans something more on tracks like “Good Place” which has a dramatic, rock-inspired composition centering on Archuleta’s voice. The album ends on a good note with the ballads “Things are Gonna Get Better” and “My Kind of Perfect.”

David Archuleta “The Other Side of Down”

Label: Sony
Genre: Pop

By Hannah Kim