Clearing It Up

OK, so instead of responding to a few different comments with more comments, which are more difficult to read, I thought I'd just say it here. Another post. Woo-hoo!

So, Jenny, that graphic is hysterical. I took absolutely no offense to it. My headline "Sad and Scary" was very sarcastic. I'm guessing you came across this here blog only because of the review. If you had read it more frequently, you would know that I make a lot of understated jokes. I was not being serious. Honestly, I took absolutely no offense to the photo. I laughed out loud.

Since this review has gotten a lot of attention, and a couple people asked in the comments the process for a review, I'll tell you mine. I think most music critics pretty much do the same thing. Before reviewing something, I will not listen to it less than three times. I tend to review four CDs a week and choose those based on what people are going to want to read about it most. Anyway, I received the David Archuleta album about two weeks before its release date. That's about the norm.

The first listen of any CD for me is in the background. I usually just put it on at home and do other things, while jotting down notes about certain things. The second time I listen to something, I do it closely, taking notes on specific songs. And then third time is when I'm actually writing the review. Sometimes, if I can't get a handle on an album, I'll listen to it more. I only listened to Archuleta's album three times.

Contrary to what you might believe, I had no idea the review would cause a stir. He clearly has a very dedicated fan base. My biggest problem with it is that it sounds nothing like "an album." Every song is so different because of all the various production. You can tell the artist had nothing to do with the record; he just showed up and sang the songs chosen for him from record execs.

Maybe you disagree, but I find that the antithesis of what music should be. If it has his name on it, he should have something to do with the making besides stopping by a studio and lending his vocals. And, to clear up something up, I don't watch "American Idol." Don't like David Cook's upcoming album and hate Daughtry more than you can imagine. The best "Idol" CDs I've heard have come from Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. That's my take. You can disagree, but ...

On a funny note, I watched a screener of "Synecdoche, New York" last night, which we must have a discussion of here, since I'm not sure I understand it. I need to watch it again. But, anyway, it ended and we shut it off. Some late-night talk show on Fox was on, and David Archuleta was the guest. I watched him perform "Crush" and laughed at the irony.