David Archuleta Christmas update

David Archuleta has been making the most of his hit Christmas album Christmas From the Heart, as he's been touring across the country in support of it. But Arch has also been able to contribute to a lot of other projects in his spare time.

David was recently interviewed by Tony Rossi of The Christophers on the podcast "Christopher Closeup," in which he spoke about his experiences caroling around Christmas time as a kid, some of the tracks he recorded for his album and the importance of giving, especially at this time of year. The interview can be streamed in its entirety here.

And Arch currently has not one but two free downloads from Christmas From the Heart on iTunes this week, as his rendition of "The First Noel" is included in a 20-song "Holiday Sampler" in addition to Christmas classic from other artists like Amy Grant, Toby Keith and Lady Antebellum. This comes just as Arch's song "Joy to the World" is the featured free iTunes "Holiday Single of the Week." Listen to "The First Noel" below:

And it was recently announced that David will serve as part of the "Helen of Troy Halftime Show" at the Sun Bowl on Thurs., Dec. 31. From the press release:

David Archuleta will perform at the Helen of Troy Halftime Show at the 76th Annual Brut Sun Bowl on Dec. 31 at the Sun Bowl Stadium. The Brut Sun Bowl is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 31 at noon at Sun Bowl Stadium in EL PASO, Texas. The game will be broadcast live nationally in high definition on CBS for the 42nd consecutive year. Tickets for the Brut Sun Bowl range in price from $15 to $60 and can be purchased by calling (915) 533-4416 or (800) 915-BOWL or go on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

It looks like David has plenty of activities that are keeping his plate full during this holiday season.

Don't forget to purchase Christmas From the Heart, now available in stores nationwide and at Amazon.com.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Free downloads: Brooke White's "Follow Me," Michael Johns' "Heart On My Sleeve"

Following in the footsteps of Phil Stacey, two other Idol alums are featuring singles of theirs as free downloads available on Amazon MP3. Brooke White's song "Follow Me" from her debut album Songs From the Attic and Michael Johns' current single "Heart On My Sleeve" off his new album Hold Back My Heart are now available to download on the digital music retailer.

There is little doubt that the fact that the songs are free is for the purpose of generating interest in the two seventh season finalists' albums, as Brooke just released her sophomore effort High Hopes & Heartbreak a few weeks ago. So far, things seem to be working, as "Follow Me" is currently #3 on Amazon's Top Free Songs chart and "Heart On My Sleeve" is listening to the former's title, as it is right behind at #4. Back when Phil's single "You're Not Shaken" was available to download free of charge, it managed to get to #2 on Amazon's Top Overall Songs chart.

Regardless of whether or not these freebies result in higher album sales, they should bot be passed up by Idol fans at any cost (unless, of course, you already own the albums these songs appear on).

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Free download: Kelly Clarkson's "Already Gone"

In an attempt to jump start awareness of Kelly Clarkson's third single off All I Ever Wanted, "Already Gone," RCA is allowing fans to download the song for free on Toyota's community music MySpace page. A blog post on Kelly's official Web site reads:

Have you heard Kelly's new single "Already Gone"? If not, take a jump over to the Toyota Community MySpace page and you can download the single for free! What's more to say about a free download...you should be already gone!

Although it's nice that fans are getting a free download out of this, it looks pretty desperate considering the song's sluggish sales and chart performance to date, especially on the heels of the somewhat disappointing performance of her second single in this era, "I Do Not Hook Up." It might actually end up being canceled out by all the negative press surrounding Kelly's remarks in a recent interview with CBC and Ryan Tedder's blog posts on his MySpace page. Hopefully it works out in the end.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Free downloads: Phil Stacey's "You're Not Shaken," Leslie Hunt's "American Dream Man"

It's always nice to add new music by Idol alums to your collection. It's even nicer when the music is free (legally free, that is). This week, two former contestants from the show's sixth season are allowing fans to download a song of theirs free of charge.

Phil Stacey, who is currently embarking on a career in Contemporary Christian Music after a failed attempt at country music, has his new single, "You're Not Shaken," available to download on Amazon MP3. The song will appear on Phil's upcoming album Into the Light, due out Tues., Aug. 25.

Similarly, Top 20 semifinalist Leslie Hunt has her new single, "American Dream Man," available to download on her official site. Her upcoming album, Your Hair Is On Fire, is set for a Tues., Aug. 4 release.

Whether or not you're fans of Phil and Leslie, both songs are definitely worth looking into.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Free download - Melinda Doolittle's "Coming Back to You"

In anticipation of her upcoming release, Melinda Doolittle is rewarding fans with a free download of "Coming Back to You," the title track of her album. To download the track just sign up for Melinda's newsletter when prompted on your next visit to her official site, MelindaDoolittle.com.

Coming Back to You will be online and in stores nationwide on Tues., Feb. 3.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Free download - Camile Velasco's "Open Up"

Camile Velasco's song "Open Up" is now available as a free download when you add Camile as a favorite on QMania.com. To redeem the track you must first register an account with the site, then add Camile as a favorite by visiting her page. When asked to enter the password, type qmania and enjoy. The song can be previewed on her official music MySpace page.

You can also redeem a free autographed 8x10 photo of Camile (plus $3 shipping & handling) by entering the password guavajellyoct14. Both offers expire Fri., Jan. 2, 2009, so act fast. The offers are courtesy of Up Above Records, the label that Camile is signed with and via which her debut album will be released sometime in 2009.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Jason Castro's "White Christmas" free on Amazon MP3

If you haven't done so already, head on over to Amazon MP3 and download your free copy of Jason Castro's version of "White Christmas." If you're not in the U.S. at the moment, you're still in luck. Just visit Jason's ReverbNation page and download it there for free as well.

Jason's take on the Christmas classic is something that would be heard in a Hawaiian beach side resort, as the ukulele really adds an interesting touch that is one hundred percent the same Jason that we all saw on Idol.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...