Kelly Clarkson Treats BBC To 'Princess Of China' Cover

A thought: Kelly Clarkson just might be that rare artist that's actually more enjoyable when she's singing someone else's songs.

OK, so that's kind of what she's already spent a fair previous stage of her career doing.

But in this case, the original "American Idol" stopped by the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge today, and treated the U.K. to her cover of Coldplay and Rihanna's "Princess of China." You know something? I dare say, this is how it should have been done in the first place.

For starters, it's actually much more spare. Since Clarkson went acoustic with some house musicians, it naturally eliminates that grating, buzzing synth element of the original. Second, she's got the kind of rich voice that does justice both to Coldplay's Chris Martin, and to Rihanna's poppier R&B tone. And to be honest, on the parts of the original wherein Martin and Rihanna sing in unison, they kind of sound a little Clarkson's throatier notes anyway.

It actually sounds a lot like perhaps how the song should've been conceived originally, instead of something too overproduced for Coldplay to sound at home at all. Clarkson's got obvious technical ability as a singer, and her voice certainly has some power behind it. It's just that her original songs like "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" tend to sound like an everything-must-go clearance of ALL THE CLICHÉS.

Clarkson was able to stop by while on an extended break from shooting ABC's "Duets" with contemporary Robin Thicke. Shooting on the musical competition show is set to resume this July.