Tony Potter

Rexburg Standard Journal

Of all the shows David Archuleta has lined up, one of the most anticipated for him is Rexburg.

“I am so excited to come to Idaho,” Archuleta said. “They’ve always been so supportive. I have to say thanks.”

Archuleta has his first Christmas album out, “Christmas from the Heart,” and that will be the focus of his concert tour stop here on Friday.

The album features Archuleta’s original composition “Melodies of Christmas,” which sets the festive tone for an album inspired by his deep regard for the meaning of Christmas and tidings of good will. Seasonal standards “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Silent Night” are included on the holiday collection. Filipino vocalist Charice Pempengco joins Archuleta for the duet “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” The Salt Lake Children’s Choir and The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra are featured on select holiday favorites, conveying Archuleta’s message — joy to the world.

“There will also be a section of the show that will be pop music,” Archuleta said. That’s what he’s been doing and performing for the past year, and what people know him for. But after the pop, he wants to really get into the spirit of Christmas.

“I want to end the concert on a Christmas note,” he said. “That was the point of the album, to get into the spirit of Christmas, and get the emotion as best we could into the songs.”

During Archuleta’s summer concert tours, he would use any time off he could to work on and record Christmas songs. “It was a challenge because my voice was pretty worn out after the tour and then to go and get these big Christmas songs sung was challenging.”

But the album was on a short timetable, and Archuleta is pleased that it came out in time. He says it’s fun to have his own arrangement of Christmas songs that he grew up with.

His first album was also time crunched, so he’s looking forward to next year, when he will work on a new album he hopes will reflect his personality a bit more. “I will actually have time to ride and see what comes out, to let the music flow,” Archuleta says. Along that ride, Archuleta wants to become more involved in the writing. He has spent time recently in Nashville, L.A. and New York, trying to come up with songs. “I am trying to figure out what I want to say to people, to show them,” Archuleta says. “I want to show my personality in my music, to show that I’m kind of quirky.”

Archuleta recently dedicated a month to just writing and working with people. “It’s been really fun getting to say what you want to say,” Archuleta said. “I hope to say ‘This is what’s on my mind and this is what I think.’”

Archuleta doesn’t know what will make it to the album, but he hopes there will be more of his own songs. He feels putting his own writing out there will help fans connect with what he is trying to do. “People can connect to you because they feel the song is you,” he says. “When there’s truth to the song … the truer the music, the more people will connect.”

But that is all in the future. The here and now is a brand new Christmas concert in Rexburg on the Brigham Young University-Idaho campus. The show is Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Hart Auditorium.

The cost is $35 for the general public, $20 for BYU-Idaho students and no children under six.

“The crowds have always been so much fun (in Idaho)” says Archuleta. They’re my neighbors. I can’t wait for the show.”

Archuleta was a seventh season runner-up on American Idol. His critically acclaimed self-titled debut album sold over 700,000 albums. The Murray, Utah native soared to #2 on the Billboard charts, buoyed by his smash single “Crush.”

For more information, visit www.davidarchuleta.com.

SOURCE

Last 3 posts by B in Wisconsin

• David Archuleta's press conference in Honduras - January 17th, 2010
• David Archuleta's blog from Central America - January 13th, 2010
• David Archuleta on The Weather Channel - December 26th, 2009

~ by B in Wisconsin on December 2, 2009.

Christmas tour, David Archuleta

Tags: Christmas From The Heart, christmas from the heart tour, David Archuleta