David Cook's Cover of Mariah Carey's Always Be My Baby is Transfixing

American Idol always runs the risk of turning into a karaoke show. The songs the contestants do are by other artists and have been played time and time again. It is a risk for contestants to make songs there own, even though that is the advice they are given by the judges.

One contestant that took the advice on Mariah Carey night to make his song his own was David Cook, and once again, it worked in his favor. I was curious on how David Cook would take a Mariah Carey song and turn it into something that would be believable for him as a performer. Somehow, Cook took the song "Always Be My Baby" and turned it into a haunting, lustful rock song that was both entertaining and mesmerizing.

From the opening chords, I was transfixed. Cook's deep voice spilled out as he said words that I knew to a beat that he had manufactured. It was completely different than the song made popular by Mariah Carey. Not only that, but it really worked. It was an arrangement that I could imagine hearing on the radio.

What sets David Cook apart from so many of the contestants is his ability to understand music. He is not on the stage simply singing words. He owns the songs. He strips them down and remakes them into something that is current. There is nothing dated about David Cook. That is why he is so much fun to watch. Every week, the viewer is going to get to listen to something original from Cook. If I wanted to hear a Mariah Carey song, I would listen to the cd. I want to hear David Cook's take on Mariah Carey, and I want to be able to tell the difference.

On a show that is obsessed over the other David, Cook is quickly making a name for himself, and he's making a statement. He is a real musician, not a karaoke singer. When David Cook puts out an album, and he will, it will be an album full of his unique sound because he is not just a singer, but a musician.