Saturday, April 12, 2008

David Cook and "Innocent"

David Cook surprised me by performing Our Lady Peace's "Innocent" this week. I was obviously thrilled to know that we have the same favorite band, but I felt anxious when he announced his song, because his voice and Raine Maeda's voice are very different. But David Cook is as talented as an American Idol contestant can get, so I was hoping he'd pull it off.

By the end of the performance, I was left with mixed feelings. The beggining was very rough as he tried to find his correct tone, but by the middle, I started enjoying it. As a whole, he was good, but not fantastic. It was an apt song choice based on the lyrics, but perhaps he could have chosen another OLP song.

I still give David Cook props for taking on such a difficult song. I personally believe "Innocent" is one of the hardest OLP songs to sing, because the range stretches from the very low to high. And interpreting the raspy quality to Raine Maeda's voice isn't a no-brainer.

For those who have not listened to the original version of Innocent, here it is:







Just a few minutes ago, I was able to listen to the full length studio version of David Cook's rendition of "Innocent", and it certainly redeemed him big time. He sang it way better! Not as great as Raine in my opinion, but Cook did what he does best - he made it his own! Here it is:







David Cook is amazing.