Season 7 finalist Brooke White was a true pioneer on "American Idol." Competing during the very first season on which contestants were allowed to play musical instruments, her acoustic guitar and piano covers of the Beatles' "Let It Be," the Police's "Every Breath You Take," and especially Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield" were all "AI" game-changers. It's no hyperbole to state that Brooke opened up the "Idol" competition to a whole new slew of singer-songstresses, especially the folky females who dominated Season 9, like Crystal Bowersox, Didi Benami, Katelyn Epperly, and Lilly Scott.
Since placing fifth on "Idol," Brooke has busied herself with acting and hosting gigs and released one underrated solo album, High Hopes & Heartbreak. But now, as one-half of the cleverly named folk-rock duo Jack and White, she seems to have really founded her post-"AI" voice and fulfilled her early promise. Jack and White consists of Brooke and California singer-songwriter Jack Matranga (formerly of the indie band Self Against City), who were recently blindly paired for a songwriting session and clicked so magically, they wisely decided to release the six songs from their unexpectedly fruitful collaboration as the Gemini EP.
Reminiscent of classic '60s/'70s California soft-rockers Fleetwood Mac, the Mamas & The Papas, and the Carpenters, with just the right amount of modern indie edge (think Best Coast, She & Him, Cults), Jack and White's easy-breezy music manages to sound both nostalgic and timeless. In fact, I'm already nostalgic for that recent fine sunshine day when the duo came by Yahoo! Music for an acoustic session of four Gemini songs.
Check out Jack and White's performances below...
[photos: Derick Tortorella]
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