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I have long been a fan of reality TV shows, such as Pop Idol and X Factor here in the UK, and, more recently, American Idol, which, although isn't shown on the UK's main TV stations, is broadcast on one of the digital channels. I enjoy the competition, seeing contestants work up from the trials through to the finals, hopefully improving. However, I have always admitted that the majority of artists that are 'found' on these so-called talent shows are generally fairly ordinary. I have certainly never gone out of my way to find out anything about them or re-listen to their performances - as a thirty-eight year old woman, I just like to appreciate the entertainment, fleeting as it is. However, this year I have come across an artist that I just can't get enough of. He is now in the top five contestants on American Idol, and his name is David Cook.

I enjoyed David's performances from the first time I saw them, but it wasn't really until he sang Lionel Richie's 'Hello' that I really began to appreciate he might really be something out of the ordinary. He somehow managed to turn what is usually a rather bland ballad into a hauntingly beautiful rock song that even my friend's trendy fourteen year old is happy to listen to. As he has progressed through the ranks, his performances have maintained, and even surpassed, that quality. He did a beautiful job of Chris Cornell's version of Billie Jean - there was some controversy here because some people felt that he had not made enough of an effort to make the public realise that he hadn't rewritten Michael Jackson's composition himself - controversy aside, having listened to Chris Cornell singing Billie Jean, I still much prefer David's version. He did rock versions of Beatles' songs Eleanor Rigby and Day Tripper.

David's critics were quick to claim that he had already peaked when he sang Dolly Parton's Little Sparrow and Our Lady Peace's Innocent, neither of which went down as well with the audience or the judges, although I still enjoyed them. However, he continued to hold his own and then came back on top with his performance of Mariah Carey's Always Be My Baby that blew away the competition and deeply impressed the judges - and yes, that does include Simon Cowell. This week brought more pressure - could David manage an Andrew Lloyd Webber song? Fortunately, he not only managed it, he gave an excellent performance of Music of the Night. He is not perfect - there were a couple of high notes that he strained to reach - but

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