David Archuleta: American Idol

You’ve heard it here since American Idol started this season — just look at the header banner at the top of the website…that’s right, “David Archuleta, Winner of American Idol!”.   YEAH, BABY!!   Go David Go!!!

Ok, here’s the typical Archuleta ballad, he’ll rock, right?  Right.  Check David out on “Longer” by Dan Fogelberg, a great performance:

I wasn’t sure how this song was going to sound — it was a little outside of what David’s been doing well with…  When he started, his bopping-like dancing was a little wierd…and the song itself didn’t really go anywhere.  I.e. it wasn’t such a great performance.  Of course, that’s relative to his stellar performances before…  It was a nice change from his other stuff, though.  Anyway, check it out:

Damn, this is one of the most beautiful songs ever…a tough undertaking for anyone.  David did pretty well (though I gotta say, I still love Billy’s version…you can’t beat the piano in that classic version).  Anyway, David did great — check out “And So It Goes” by Archuleta:

I was wondering if Archuleta would be able to do Elvis’ classic swaggering, stud-like delivery any justice.  He actually did a beautiful version…very ballad-ish.  A great decision on his part.  Check it out, it’s worth it — “Love Me Tender”:

This song is one of my faves of all time — and David totally did it justice.  Check it out ASAP…”Stand By Me” by David Archuleta:

Again, it looks like it’s a double dose of Archuleta goodness with a second Neil Diamond tune, “America.”  Man, what a great arrangement of a classic, and of course, David absolutely rocks out on it.  Check it out:

David singing Diamond…I gotta say, this song is perfect for David’s happy-go-lucky personality and delivery style.  Go Davy go!!  Check it out Neil’s song “Sweet Caroline”:

Man, the judges LOVE this kid, he was called “the one to beat” again!!  He’s got such an awesome chance to win it all.  Check him out singing “Think of Me” from Phantom of the Opera:

Man, David rocked the house with this one…it’s great to hear him with the whole orchestra.   Even Simon loved it, so you know it’s gotta be good.   Check out the performance: