Prepare To Be Bombarded

I just ADORE this boy / young man ( can't really decide which at this point ).

Have finally found some free time to look up videos on YouTube, and came upon this treasure trove of footage.

There're 2 ways to search for him, yielding significantly different results.

Using "David Archuleta, Star Search", or

just plain "David Archuleta".

The first has clips of him at age 12, doing R&B-heavy pieces like You're All I Need and Alicia Keys' Fallin'. The first video on the list features a song that I don't know, but David sings the hell out of it for sure. :)

Another video you definitely should not miss is O Holy Night. Described as a recording made on 14th December 2007, David is presumably 16 and sounds like an angel. I've heard so many versions of this Christmas classic, but this beats them all hollow. The last time I teared up while listening to a song was way back in 2003, when Clay Aiken blew the roof off the Kodak Theatre with his awesome performance of Bridge Over Troubled Water.

Hearing David bring his own style and spirit to one of my all-time favourite Christmas pieces is tremendously inspiring, so I wasn't surprised to feel my eyes water. Beautiful!!!

Also, check out A Thousand Miles, which looks like a home video, but totally rocks! He plays the piano very well, I must say. This cover is a lot better than the squeaky original by Vanessa Carlton. Notice he has no music score to refer to. Very professionally done.

Next, be sure to watch an early cover of Imagine, at age 13. He's rather short for his age, but terribly cute. :)

You can compare this to the latest version, which he performed on American Idol just a few days ago. Both share a few similarities, yet are vastly different in many other ways. Just shows he isn't rehashing a well-rehearsed routine, is able to improvise, but also sings from his heart.

Last but not least, you can see the full-length video for Heaven, done during Hollywood week, and shown only in short snippets on local television. Very smooth, with fabulous voice control.

He is soooo talented! It's fantastic that Simon Cowell has anointed him "the one to beat" this year. He really deserves the title, and I'm already a huge fan. :)

My other favourite, Jason Castro, may not have done well this week, but he's definitely got the goods. Just check out this video from a gig at the Prophet Bar, which I think is excellent. He reminds me of Jason Mraz -- same vocal tone and choice of instrument, but he sings a lot slower, haha.

Anyway, that's all I have time for today. It's gonna be a crazy month ahead, let's hope I survive it. Going to the Harry Connick, Jr. concert on Friday, can't wait! :)