Rock rarely gets its due on the more pop-leaning reality singing competitions, so it definitely piques some interest when a contestant shows his or her rock side. That's what happened Wednesday night (Feb. 26) on 'American Idol' when contestant Jessica Meuse took on a Shinedown favorite.

The Alabama-based vocalist showed her Southern rock roots by performing Shinedown's 'The Crow & The Butterfly.' This week's 'American Idol' theme was "This Is Me," urging artists to perform songs that reflect their character both onstage and off.

According to AL.com, mentor Randy Jackson urged Meuse to dig deep into her emotions to convey the song. "She has to find a way to commit to the feeling in the song and communicate that to the audience and judges."

After the performance, the judges praised her, with Keith Urban stating, "That was a bold but cool song choice," and added that her rendition had "a dark haunting quality." Jennifer Lopez called the performance "dope," while crooner Harry Connick Jr. added, "I thought it was strong … I heard a different sound in your voice. That was really nice."

As for Shinedown, there were a series of tweets from band members Brent Smith and Zach Myers about the performance that can be seen below.

'The Crow & The Butterfly' was the fifth single from Shinedown's 2008 album, 'The Sound of Madness,' reaching the top of the U.S. mainstream and rock charts.

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