Release date: Oct. 18, 2024
Blind Pig Records
By Robin Zimmerman
When it comes to American Idol contestants, most seem to fall into the category of country singers like Carrie Underwood or pop princesses in the mold of Kelly Clarkson. But there’s one fellow who came out of the reality show with a bona fide blues and soul background by way of his early immersion in the black Baptist church in his native Baton Rouge.
Jovin Webb appeared on the eighteenth season of American Idol in 2020 and cracked the top ten. Although he didn’t get the golden ticket, Webb amassed a sizable fan base and won praise from the likes of Lionel Richie and other industry heavyweights. He also attracted the attention of legendary blues label, Blind Pig Records and signed on with them at the end of 2023.
The label didn’t waste any time recording Webb as they enlisted multi-Grammy winning producer, Tom Hambridge, and got Webb into the studio for a two-day session at Nashville’s Sound Stage Studio in early March. The result is his impressive debut album, Drifter.
Drifter was released on October 18th and has been climbing up the charts as it showcases Webb’s distinctive voice as well as a wide range of musical styles. While this up-and-comer was relegated to performing cover versions on Idol, his Drifter features mostly original material, much of which has drawn from Webb’s own life lessons.
It’s also easy to draw some comparisons to another young Southern blues performer, since Hambridge served as the producer and co-writer for Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s debut album and his follow-up, 662. The Webb-Hambridge co-writing collaboration on Drifter has yielded a socially relevant song in the same vein of Ingram’s “Another Life Goes By.” “Save Me” is a plaintive ballad about race relations and choosing “love, not hate” as Webb sings that “I can’t choose the way God made me, Lord save me.”
Drifter also firmly plants Webb in the realm of the new guard of young blues guns and should give pause to those who bemoan that the genre is falling out of favor with the younger set. A few spins of Drifter and it’s easy to see that Webb walks and talks the language of the blues.
Besides his strong vocals and songwriting skills, Webb plays a mean harp. This is evident from the get-go as the opening track, “Bottom of the Bottle,” showcases Webb’s harmonica chops as he sings about seeking solace with spirits that “are calling my name.”
The title track, “Drifter” comes on strong with a solid backbeat and Webb’s world-weary vocal delivery adding credence to this tale of a rough life on the road. With lyrics like “I can do bad all by myself” and “where I lay my hat, I make it my home,” “Drifter” serves as an updated take on classics like the Temptations “Papa was a Rolling Stone” and Muddy Waters’ “Rollin’ Stone.”
But Webb isn’t a one-trick blues pony as he easily segues into a smooth and romantic mood with the haunting “Drunk on your Love,” which also features some stellar slide guitar work from Kenny Greenberg. This mellow groove is followed by a full-blown Little Richard-style rave-up, “Wig on Wrong.”
Webb’s church roots are front and center as he seeks redemption and reflects on his sometimes-questionable life choices on “Livin’ Reckless.” This deeply personal track is augmented with some soul-saving organ work by way of Mike Rojas. Bass player Rob Cureton and the versatile Hambridge on drums and background vocals also contributed on Drifter.
In keeping with the CD’s Drifter theme, Webb moves on with his autographical musical riffs on “Blues with a Reason.” Here, this driven musician touches on the fact that “I don’t get much sleep, but I’ve got to keep dreaming.”
The well-traveled Webb also pays homage to the Chicago blues scene on “It’s the Hawk.” He makes note of “spending a little cash” at Buddy Guy’s Legends along with references to the Windy City’s infamous “Hawk.” This visitor from Baton Rouge’s balmier climate laments the need to have “long drawers on” when the wicked winds roll down around Maxwell Street.
After serving up a slew of original material that ranges from New Orleans’ style shuffles and old-school Chicago blues to some smooth Southern-style soul ballads, Webb wraps up Drifter with an impressive cover version of Albert King’s “Born Under a Bad Sign.”
While Webb might sing about “bad signs,” all signs point to a positive trajectory for this young bluesman. In addition to the multi-record deal with Blind Pig, Webb is slated to tour Europe and the United States in 2025 in support of Drifter.
Webb has said that Drifter “has showed me how to keep going. It taught me to believe in myself.” It’s safe to say that this impressive debut album should give listeners plenty of reasons to believe in Jovin Webb’s ability to bring his own brand of the blues to an ever-expanding fan base.
About the Author: Blues enthusiast Robin Zimmerman, a.k.a. Rockin' Robin, writes a Blues Blog and is a regular contributor to Chicago Blues Guide
website: www.blindpigrecords.com