Almost five years after millions of TV viewers saw and heard Jovin Webb on “American Idol,” the Gonzales native is releasing “Drifter,” his debut album.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Webb said last week on the shady patio of a Baton Rouge coffee shop. “I always wanted to do an album, but I never thought I would get to see it.”
A showcase for Webb’s grit, soul and versatility, “Drifter” presents his powerful performances of blues, rock, gospel and old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll. The esteemed blues label Blind Pig Records is releasing the 12-song set on Friday.
A singer, songwriter and harmonica player, Webb recorded “Drifter” in Nashville, Tennessee, with four-time Grammy-winning producer Tom Hambridge. He co-wrote many of the album’s songs with Hambridge, whose previous collaborations include another famous person from Louisiana, Buddy Guy; Mississippi’s Grammy-winning young blues star, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram; as well as Gary Clark Jr., Susan Tedeschi, B.B. King, Van Morrison, Gregg Allman, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons and George Thorogood.
“He’s extremely decorated,” Webb said of his producer.
Just as he’s done for Guy, Hambridge tailored songs for Webb.
“He told me how he’d let Buddy talk and he took notes about things Buddy said in the conversation,” Webb explained. “Little things that he’d piece it together and, some kind of way, make a song. He used the same process with me. As soon as I got to Nashville, out first meeting, we talked about everything.”
Webb brought material he’d written to Nashville. He and Hambridge wrote songs together for about a week. One of the producer’s songwriting collaborators, Richard Fleming, also participated in the songwriting.
No matter what kind of music Webb sings, the song must mean something to him.
“My idol, Michael Jackson, he said in an interview, ‘I don’t sing a song I don’t feel.’ And I wanted to put stuff I’m feeling on this album. I keep it as authentic as possible, but it’s not trying, it’s just how it is.”
Jovin Webb discusses his debut album, 'Drifter,' at a Baton Rouge coffee shop last week. 'Drifter' is due out Friday.
Although Webb had recording experience before he went to Nashville, working with Hambridge and the city’s top-flight session players took him to a new level.
“Even more magical,” he said. “But we were in there very machine-like. One day, in particular, we recorded four or five songs.”
Webb’s late parents, who had him rather late in their lives, introduced him to the older music styles that became his foundation. He grew up listening to their classic soul and rhythm-and-blues records.
“All that old soul was because of them,” he said. “We had a record player. Albums. James Brown, Al Green.”
Jovin Webb’s late parents, who had him rather late in their lives, introduced him to the older music styles that became his foundation.
Webb’s early memories include sitting on his father’s knee while the elder Webb intoned snippets of John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom.” He also loved the Southern gospel music at St. Paul Baptist Church in Gonzales.
“They couldn’t keep me still in church,” Webb remembered. “When they figured out I liked the rhythm and I liked to dance, they put me by the drums. That was it.”
Webb’s route to the musician’s life got a boost when his music teacher at St. Amant High School, Bryan J. Bertucci, insisted he sing in the choir.
“He heard me singing in piano class and was like, ‘You’re going to be in choir,’ ” Webb recalled. “I was like, ‘No, I’m not. You can’t make me.’ But then he worked his magic. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. He taught how to sing the correct way and got me out of my shell.”
About a decade later, Webb joined Captain Green following his impromptu performance of Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” with a side-project duo featuring keyboardist Ross Hoppe and bassist Robert Kling.
“Being thrown around those musicians, I learned how to make it right,” Webb said of Hoppe, Kling, Mike Harris and the others. “Captain Green was finally finishing that gumbo.”
In anticipation of the release of “Drifter” this week, Webb has been doing interviews with national and international media outlets for the past two months. Despite as many as five interviews a week, he’s not weary of sharing his life and music with the world.
“No, it’s still cool to tell my story,” he said. “I want my story to be heard. This is the whole point of it. This is everything I ever wanted.”
“Drunk on Your Love” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKVYAp5xAm8&feature=youtu.be
“Mine Someday” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pACHBcCbr4
“American Idol” performances