Indie/Pop worlds collide!

Despite a case of bronchitis, original American Idol Kelly Clarkson made an appearance last week at the ReAct Now: Music & Relief telethon in Los Angeles for Hurricane Katrina victims.

I was both surprised and delighted to find out that she performed a Ray LaMontagne song instead of one of her 'originals.' Don't get me wrong--"Since U Been Gone" is probably my favorite pop single of the year, but to hear her sing a soulful and slow ballad like "Shelter" was pleasant, and it was great to hear her showcase her lovely voice again. Plus, it's always crazy to see the MTV teen pop and indie worlds clash. Sometimes it makes me uncomfortable, but in other cases it's kind of awesome. In case you missed it, here's the link to her cover of "Shelter," courtesy of fansite Kelly Clarkson Voice.

It's also interesting and impressive to see how well KC has done as an AI contestant. She seems to have some pop cred now, especially after her big win at the MTV VMAs over bigshot Gwen Stefani. For that, kudos to Kelly! She's almost at that same place Justin Timberlake reached after he released his solo album. People don't seem to be ashamed anymore-- she's not even a guilty pleasure. There's no guilt involved, everyone's just owning up to the fact that when those opening bars of "Since U Been Gone" start up, you can't help but blast your stereo. There really has been no better sing-along song in quite some time. At least not since Britney was ruling the charts. Oh Brit... why did I even bring that up??