Kelly Clarkson’s 11 Best On-The-Road Covers
by Matthew Scott Donnelly | PopCrushIt's said a great singer can perform the contents of a phone book convincingly—hand Kelly Clarkson a collection of Yellow Pages, and she'll likely validate the claim.
Clarkson, who won the first American Idol season after performing hits from the '60s, '70s and even an option from Burt Bacharach's catalog, proved in 2002 that there was no artist or genre she couldn't tackle ("Stuff Like That There," a big band hit that's widely regarded as her strongest performance, offers unarguable evidence). And though she's forged a successful contemporary pop career in the ensuing 13 years, she's still made a point to venture beyond what's radio-friendly if and when she pleases.
Clarkson's covers, which have included selections from Black Sabbath, India Arie and Tracy Chapman over the years, have collectively become the most sought-after facet of her tour stops—so much so, that in 2012, the Grammy-winner moved to make an official "Fan Request" segment a permanent staple of each show. And the tradition lives on: Since her most recent Piece by Piece tour kicked off last week, she's taken on "Stay" by Rihanna, *NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye" and the Nick Jonas breakout, "Jealous."
For as long as the "Invincible" singer remains in the game, we can count on "Since U Been Gone" reproductions and echoes of "Stronger." But what makes Clarkson completely unique is that her show offers no road map—with a ticket, you might travel east, west or into outer space.
Below, we've rounded up our very favorite Clarkson-covers. Listen to the very best of Miss Independent traveling through musical-time, and tell us if you've got a favorite performance that we haven't included!
See what these artists looked like when their first albums were released:
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11. "I Will Wait," Mumford + Sons
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10. "Heavy in Your Arms," Florence + the Machine
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9. "You and I," Lady Gaga
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8. "Up to the Mountain," Patty Griffin
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7. "Someone Like You," Adele
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6. "Lies," The Black Keys
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5. "Oh! Darling," The Beatles
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4. "Why," Annie Lennox
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3. "I'd Rather go Blind," Etta James
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2. "I Know You Won't," Carrie Underwood
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1. "Home," Marc Broussard
Kelly Clarkson’s 11 Best On-The-Road Covers
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