Brooke White's Performance on American Idol March 25th: So Close, but No Cigar

According to judges Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell, Brooke White's version of "Every Breath You Take" on the March 25^th episode of American Idol started out very well but lost much of its appeal in the middle of the song when the tempo picked up and a band started playing.

White, one of the few contestants to provide accompaniment for herself, sat and played the piano while singing a much gentler version of the Sting original. I agree with the judges that this part of the song was done particularly well. While the original version of "Every Breath You Take" sometimes creeps me out, in much the same way a stalker would ("Every step you take, I'll be watching you"), White gave the song a much more caring, almost maternal feel, taking out the aggression that perhaps is the reason for my apprehension when listening to the original performance by The Police.

In the middle of the song, Brooke picked up the beat and a band joined the piano in playing the song. For Simon and Randy, this is when Brooke's originality was lost, and she fell into the trap of trying to recreate the original hit.

I disagree. I felt that the increased tempo put more of a "punch" into the piece. While I acknowledge that the particular section was not as strong as the beginning of the song, I don't know that it would have been much better if White decided to keep her slow, caressing voice and soulful piano playing throughout the entire thing. As an opening, it worked perfectly: the audience was given an entirely different spin on a popular song, and it was pleasant. But keeping that style for the rest of the song would have, for me, become old, making White seem more like a flower-child wannabe than a professional performer.

By adding in the band at the right moment, White paid tribute to the original song, which, for all its seemingly disturbing qualities, is a rock classic. What she failed to do was make that rock feel work for her as well as the opening did. Instead of being impressed by her versatility, the judges (and I) just noticed that the middle of the song looked more like an attempt to recreate the original than as an opportunity to showcase Brooke's own unique ability.