Kelly Clarkson recently killed us with her cover of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper‘s “Shallow,” and now she’s done it again with her heart-stomping take on Brandi Carlile‘s Grammy-winning “The Joke.”
Clarkson, who makes time during her live shows to offer up a unique spin on some of her favorite songs, pulled out the Carlile cover in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night (Feb. 21) during a stop on her Meaning of Life Tour.
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“If you get a chance to see her live, it is amazing, like she’s so inspiring and just talented and just a really rad human,” Clarkson said of Carlile, whose songs she’s covered in concert for years. “But anyway, she had this big performance at the Grammys recently and I was so excited for her becuase it couldn’t have happened to a cooler human being, and a more talented one at that… I hope I do it justice, Brandi.”
With her smoky voice rising up over a spare keyboard, Clarkson gave the ballad a jazzy vibe, perfectly handling the song’s slow rise and emotional roller coaster ride while gripping the mic stand as if her life depended on it while hitting a series of high, clear notes near the end. “She can write one hell of a song!” Clarkson gushed as the song’s final notes faded out.
Watch Clarkson’s cover below.