Mormon Pop: Looking back, ahead for 'American Idol's' Mormons

Looking back on last week's "American Idol" episodes, the first thing that was a little unexpected for me was just how well Brooke White, the LDS singer out of Mesa, Ariz., did. Her smiling and sassy "You're So Vain" wooed both the audience and the judges — and even got a sincere reaction from Simon The Grouch. While Rolling Stone suggested that her whole demeanor and approach was too Carly Simon, Entertainment Weekly and others tagged her performance as at or near the top. Like I pointed out last week, Brooke is just more comfortable — and much more "real" — performing while playing guitar or piano. So she definitely kicked it up a notch, but even more than I had hoped. This, combined with poor performances by several other contestants, put her in the upper third of the girls. Congrats Brooke!

On Wednesday we'll see if last week was a fluke, or whether Brooke is really starting to be totally on top of her game.

Now, on to David Archuleta, the LDS singing sensation out of Murray, Utah.

Archuleta�s performance of John Lennon's "Imagine" was touching and beyond his years. Halfway through the song I was thinking, "This is a moment." David is the real deal. So if you haven't seen it, click on the link above; it's worth the watch. I should note that the L.A Times pointed out that his arrangement did not magically materialize, but was originated by the late singer Eva Cassidy.

Setting aside all that, the significant thing for me was not David's you're-the-one-to-beat performance; it was song choice. And this is where I think we kind of enter the challenge of trying to balance your faith with the entertainment industry that I wrote about several weeks ago.

Although considered by some to one of the best songs of all time, "Imagine's" first verse lines about "no heaven" and "no religion" lead others to consider it "anti-God and controversial."

When asked by judge Randy Jackson why he didn�t sing the first verse, David meekly (and innocently?) replied that he liked the last verses better. But several media onlookers, myself included, wondered if David didn't sing the first verse because of his Mormon faith (maybe that theory got blown out of the water, when this video appeared of David singing the complete song on "Good Things Utah" when he was 13).

But my point is this is exactly the kind of unexpected situation that happens in real life for LDS entertainers. You sing the second half of a song you like cause it fits the time constraints and the moment. But then — unexpectedly — your choice takes on a life of its own, perhaps becoming a signature performance and signature song. And then you have to decide whether or not to perform it on tour, on a best-selling CD, etc.