Kelly Clarkson's cover of The Guess Who's "American Woman" keeps the 1969 original's classic-rock guitars, while adding a splash of gospel and a little country twang to the mix. So it's appropriate the song got its live debut at Wednesday's (June 6) CMT Music Awards.
The singer didn't shy away from the upper reaches of the power ballad, building throughout the song to the final "I gotta go! I gotta get away!" climax and nailing the seemingly impossible notes. This is an often-covered song -- most notably Lenny Kravitz's 1999 version, which peaked at No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 -- and Clarkson's version is an impressive addition to the playlist.
Watch the patriotic performance below.
Clarkson recorded the song for the upcoming Paramount Network series of the same name, which stars Alicia Silverstone and Mena Suvari and debuts Thursday night.
