'American Idol' Season 18 Episode 9: Jovin Webb's soulful singing sees the judges send him to the Top 20
The Top 40 round of 'American Idol' premiered on Sunday night (March 29) and Jovin Webb just proved that he has what it takes to win it all. The talented African-American singer from Louisiana is already a father of a young boy and at 29, he knows that this might be his last shot at stardom on the international stage.
He's certainly got the singing chops to back up his ambition. His soulful, gritty-voiced performance of 'Whipping Post' by the Allman Brothers Band completely wowed the judges at his audition and Lionel Richie confirmed that he had really "brought the barbecue sauce to 'American Idol'" with that performance. And Webb has been going on from strength to strength with each round. He powered through in Hollywood Week with brilliant performances in both duets and solo rounds and was considered a definite shoo-in for the Top 40 by most people, including the judges.
At the Disney resort in Aulani, Hawaii, Webb chose to sing 'You Are the Best Thing' by the folk singer Ray LaMontagne and his performance was absolutely spot-on. His raw, powerful voice and considerable talent were on full display here and Webb even broke out into some amazing dance moves that included a full 360-degree spin, before falling to his knees in front of an adoring audience. This young man's a born entertainer, having performed with local bands Captain Green and Bayou Bullets in the past and he definitely showed that he was the "best thing" to happen to Idol with this dazzling island performance. Webb did note that the entire journey had been an emotional roller coaster for him. He was still getting over a self-destructive phase following the death of his mother and was also pining to comfort his young son who was missing his dad. But considering that this was his best chance for a ticket to stardom, Webb knew that he had plenty of time for his family after nailing his performance on 'American Idol'.
The judges were thrilled with his amazing display, but they did have some advice for the clearly nervous singer. They noted that he didn't have the biggest voice or the most talent in the competition, but he certainly did have character and style in spades. "You have a lot of signature artiste qualities," said Luke Bryan, while Lionel Richie mentioned that he had "a sound that will work well for you in this business." The judges then encouraged him to work "every day of his life" on his promising potential and after some suspense, informed him that he was now in the Top 20 of the singing competition.
Webb was thrilled and promised the judges that he would hard to make them proud. His fans were certainly pleased for him too. "YEAHHHH JO!!!!!!! So proud of you, Jovin Webb. Keep climbing that mountain of dreams, love! You got this! We all believe in you!" said one excited fan. Another admirer candidly stated, "If Jovin Webb doesn’t win this season of American Idol, I quit," while another fan exclaimed, "This is my Nr#1. He is not polished but he has years of experience. And NO MONEY can buy that. Born for something better!!!"
We do hope Jovin continues to shine in the future rounds, he's got a lot of talent to showcase! To catch more 'American Idol' episodes, make sure you tune in on Sunday and Monday nights at 8 pm ET on the ABC network.