David Archuleta, the "American Idol" season seven runner-up, released his sixth album, "No Matter How Far," on Tuesday, March 26. The 22-year-old recorded the new music before leaving on his two-year religious mission trip to Chile, keeping with his promise to fans to continue doing music.
Archuleta grew up in a very musically inclined family and listened to jazz, pop, rock and gospel music growing up. His diverse musical background is apparent in "No Matter How Far," showing growth since the start of his career when he was displayed as more of a pop singer than a meaningful song-writer.
Archuleta shows off his vocals in the album's opening ballad and first single, "Don't Run Away," which features many stringed instruments. The song was released in late February and has gotten many good reviews from fans and critics. The second single, "I'll Never Go," is similarly praised for being calming and drawing fans in with its heartfelt emotion. The songs feature on "No Matter How Far" not only display Archuleta's dynamic voice but also prove his talent as a songwriter. The inspirational lyrics in "Wait" are not to be overlooked.
"No Matter How Far" has a total of 10 songs and whether you were a fan of Archuleta from 2008 when his first hit single, "Crush," was released or if you are simply curious about the young man's sound, it is worth listening to.
The Setonian gives this album 3 out of 5 stars.
Amanda Boyer can be reached at amanda.boyer@student.shu.edu
