Brooke White's Lackluster Performance on American Idol

Up until tonight, I thought Brooke White was one of the top contenders on American Idol. Up until tonight, I could see her, alongside David Cook and David Archuleta, in the top three. Tonight, though, I think Brooke made a very poor decision.

This week's theme was inspirational songs, and Brooke White chose the Carole King version of You've Got a Friend. While this song is comforting, both lyrically and musically, it seems like an odd choice for an inspirational song, given the large pool of songs that Brooke could have drawn from.

In addition to the odd song choice, Brooke's performance was not nearly what I have come to expect from her. Vocally, she shined in the way she always does. Her voice was crisp, clear, clean, and beautiful. Her performance, though, was lacking presence and relevance. She stood on the stage like a statue, and performed what felt like a very old-fashioned version of the song.

At this stage in the competition, it's important to remain modern and relevant if you want to succeed. As Simon put it, it was a "pleasant walk in the park" and it lacked originality. It was just a nice performance.

Another thing that normally helps Brooke shine on American Idol has been her way of connecting with a song and connecting with the audience. She's normally a brilliant performer, but I felt like that connection was missing tonight.

After this lackluster performance, I am worried for Brooke. As much as I have felt like she was a worthy competitor in the past, I think she may find herself in the bottom three at this stage in the game. Given the performances given by Carly Smithson and Syesha Mercado this week, Brooke may get a little lost in the crowd when it comes to the breakdown of votes. It certainly wasn't a performance that I'll remember in a few days - fortunately, viewers only have to remember the song for a few hours to get their vote in.

If she wants to stay in the competition, Brooke White needs to do what she does best, and perform like a modern professional musician, and reconnect with the audience.