David Archuleta Tries To Break Robbie Williams In The U.S.

noah | October 29, 2008 12:45 pm
The new single by American Idol runner-up David Archuleta is his take on Robbie Williams’ “Angels,” and the song is actually quite well-suited to Archie’s voice. (Honestly, the more I hear him singing normal pop-song material, the more I think that my aversion to him was rooted in the Up With People-like songs he sang during the competition.) Listening to this cover made me think that Archie would be smart to work with a producer who may fall outside of his dad’s comfort zone, but who helped create an album that had a measure of success this year…

This is a demo version of Bernard Butler’s “I’m Tired,” which appeared on his 1998 album People Move On, but so many parallels can be drawn between the velvety textures of Butler’s and Archuleta’s voices. (I actually thought of Butler immediately upon hearing the first note Archuleta laid down on “Angels.”) And the sweeping strings that mark Butler’s production on that album would probably be well-foiled by Archie’s croon, don’t you think?

David Archuleta – Angels [YouTube] Bernard Butler – I’m Tired [YouTube]