Jovin Webb – Drifter
Blind Pig Records
12 Tracks – 44 minutes
Gonzales, Louisiana’s soulful blues singer and harmonica player, Jovin Webb, made it to the final ten performers on the 2020 season of American Idol. He auditioned with a powerful performance of “Whipping Post” and noted that he had been performing full time from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. The judges were overwhelmed by his performance with Luke Bryan stating “I could sit and drink a lot of bourbon listening to that voice”
That show gave him the confidence to continue performing. Now located in Baton Rouge, he has continued to perform with a focus on the blues. He says the music is “me trying to figure out religion, women, my career and everything I’ve gone through”.
Tom Hambridge has taken him under his wing and produced his debut album. Tom also co-wrote all of the original songs on the album alongside of eight with Jovin. In addition, Tom plays the drums and provides background vocals with Kenny Greenberg on guitar, Mike Rojas on piano and keyboards, and Rob Cureton on bass.
The album opens with “Bottom of a Bottle”, A Chicago styled blues steeped in the southern soul of his home and unveiling the pain of being down on your luck. His harmonica wails as he sings “Don’t know where I’m going, don’t know where I’ve been, but the bartender knows me as soon as I walk in.” and “Take a shot for my troubles, take a shot for pain, at the bottom of a bottle, I’ll wash your sins down the drain.” Kenny’s guitar slips through the song.
On “Save Me”, he says, ” I was raised not to judge another of a man by the color of their skin.” ” I choose love, not hate”. “I can’t change how God made me”. “I’m A Drifter” is a story of late nights and one- night stands, as he declares “I can do bad all by myself, I’m a son of a sinner, a broken man, a midnight traveler across the land”. The song is noted to a be a nod to The Temptations “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” and Muddy Water’s “Rolling Stone”. “Drunk On Your Love” is a smooth love song as he begs her “to move a little closer.
“Wig on Wrong” is a total blast of rock & roll with Mike’s piano driving the tune with an inclination toward a sound from Little Richard. “Livin’ Reckless” moves back to a slow blues as he tells there are “so many mistakes I’ve made, so foolish, so fearless, mysterious somehow”. With a touch of gospel, he asks “Lord, help me find my way”. He says he sings “Blues for a Reason” as “I got mud on my boots, but I keep kicking, world’s on my back trying to make an honest living, I got music in my blood and my heart is taking a beating”.
“Mine Someday” is a soul ballad as he sings, “I have been trying so hard to get your attention / I would do anything to make you my girl”. A touch of R&B glides in with a “Hand on the Bible”, “I swear that I want to be with you” and notes “that if love is a crime, I’m a guilty man”. He tells her that her “Bad Deeds” “is messing with my mind / I bring home the bacon, you feed me crumbs”. “I am no genius, but I learn my lessons well”. He goes to Chicago where “It’s The Hawk” wind that blows and, “makes you wish you had your long johns on”.
He concludes the album with his version of Booker T’s “Born Under a Bad Sign” with Max Abrams adding sax and Julio Diaz adding trumpet. The song obviously has a meaning in the life he has lived, but one can hope this album turns his life in a new, positive direction.
Jovin lives up to the hype that followed his American Idol ride. His voice has some gravel in it, but it is a pure blues voice that does draw you in to every song. Not unexpectedly, Tom keeps a solid beat behind every song with the band’s solid work aiding in the strength of the music. This a solid winner and certainly a contender for Top Ten lists and awards.
