How to sound original without really being original

American Idol winner David Cook has been praised by both the judges and the fantards for his supposed originality. But really, how original can anyone be on a show that features nothing but cover versions of popular songs? And he sang/growled every single song in the style of a sedated Chris Daughtry. So why do people see him as oh so freaking original?

I think it all boils down to the song choice decisions. Let's take third placer Syesha Mercado as an example. She kept trying to copy her idol Whitney Houston by taking on big diva ballads. She did okay most of the time, but of course she'd never be Whitney. Unsurprisingly, the judges hated her for it. Perhaps she would have been better off if she took on the Beatles. (Oh wait, she was forced to do that twice and sucked both times. Forget I said anything. Sorry.)

David Cook on the other hand wisely went with unexpected choices like Lionel Richie's Hello and Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. He didn't try to impersonate the original artists--he sang everything in his unoriginal rocker voice. And it worked. My favorite is his version of Mariah Carey's Always Be My Baby. Got to give props to a guy who can sing Mariah without sounding totally gay by going overboard with falsettos and other vocal calisthenics.

Not bad huh? I think that a guy singing a famous female song has a good chance of capturing attention simply because he would sound totally different from the original--unless he has undescended testicles like that kid from Boyzone.

Want another example? Check out this cover of Britney Spears's Everytime by some Irish dude.

That one has been stuck in my head for a few days now. And to think I hated Britney's version....

I wonder if the same trick would work for me. I have a boring singing voice with very limited range, so if I attempt to sing something by Journey or Chicago (both of which I love--don't you dare laugh), I'd come across as a very poor imitation. But if I choose to do a girly song instead, I bet I'd sound somewhat original. Not necessarily good, but original.

Or, as Paula Abdul would put it, "You made the song your own.... Your soul shined through the watermelon seed like a squishy magic rainbow.... Oh my god, I'm so high right now. More painkillers please."