We’re sure we weren’t the only ones disappointed to read the news of the sale of fabled blues record label Blind Pig Records in early 2015, having heard and purchased many of the label’s albums over the years from such artists as Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, Pinetop Perkins, George “Harmonica” Smith, Tommy Castro, Carey Bell, James Cotton, and others. The label has put out a few albums since, mostly early on, but has largely been quiet for much of the past decade. So we were of course delighted to see the label’s late 2023 announcement of its relaunch, and even more delighted to hear some of its new offerings, despite coming from names much less familiar than those listed above. That said, a listen to these albums tells us that both of these names will be quite a bit better known in the coming years.
Jovin Webb – Drifter
We haven’t watched American Idol since its earliest years, and generally don’t feel that we’ve missed too much as a result, especially when we read that a guy as talented as Jovin Webb was eliminated before making it to the top five back in 2020. Fortunately, Blind Pig was savvy enough to sign the Louisiana native late last year and wasted no time in recording and delivering his debut album Drifter, which shows that Webb’s performances on Idol, which included takes on the Allman Brothers Band’s “Whipping Post”, James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”, and Joe Cocker’s version of “With a Little Help From My Friends”, according to our research, were really only the tip of the iceberg in showcasing Webb’s immense talents.
