Track review: Arch's "Crush"

Debuting over a week ago on New York's flagship Top 40 radio station, Z100, David Archuleta's first post-Idol single, "Crush," has been making headway on radio. After only one day of airplay, "Crush" was able to debut on Billboard's Pop 100 (#93) and Pop Airplay (#57) charts. After taking one listen to the track, it is not hard to imagine why it has bad such preemptive success.

David Archuleta strikes first for the seventh season of American Idol with "Crush," a stylized mid-tempo about a subject 17-year-olds deal with on a regular basis.

"Crush," produced by Emanuel Kiriakou (Celine Dion, Taylor Hicks), starts out pretty generic, as Arch's "ooohs" swim in and out of the piano sequence and overused hand claps. But as he moves into the pre-chorus the song builds in excitement, as if the listener does not know what to expect, but knows it will be something big. Then guitar riffs introduce a melodic sugar fest accompanied by Arch's innocent vocals, leaving the target demographic feeling like they are floating through Candyland. The chorus resembles something JoJo would have put out in 2006, but the pop-rock and r&b elements mixed together keep "Crush" relevant.



Despite the many positive elements of the song, it is not without a few low spots. For example, there are a few songs that sound like they were ripped off for the sake of producing "Crush" together. The Stargate-esque drum beats in the pre-chorus could have been in any song they produced, whether it was Jordin Sparks's "Tattoo" or Beyonce's "Irreplaceable." And the chorus echoes many similarities to JoJo's "Too Little, Too Late."

David Archuleta did not win Idol. But the fact that he is under Jive Records' control should put his fans at ease, as "Crush" demonstrates that his career is on the right path.

"Crush" will be available at all major digital retailers on Tues., Aug. 12. Arch's album is scheduled for a Nov. 4 release.