Phillip Phillips Brings His Own Sound to ‘Superstition’ on ‘American Idol’

Once the lights came up after Jessica Sanchez‘ mind-blowing performance of Whitney Houston‘s ‘I Will Always Love You,’ we were kind of wondering what unfortunate soul would have to follow. But when we saw that it was fan favorite Phillip Phillips, we knew he could hold his own. Phillips brought his acoustic guitar, his baby blue eyes and his musical soul to the stage tonight for Stevie Wonder‘s ‘Superstition,’ and the result was a stellar performance.

Even before Phillips took the stage, he won over Mary J. Blige and Jimmy Iovine in the practice room, causing Iovine to describe Phillips as “that rare find of great musician and great singer,” adding that “he comes batteries included.” Blige loved him as well, and by the time he took the stage wielding his acoustic and flanked by two electric guitarists, the audience was primed to love this kid and already going nuts.

One thing that makes Phillips such a standout is his musicality and his ability to bring himself to every song he sings, spinning his own version and making it all his own. With ‘Superstition’ he seemed to be having a blast, taking the time to step away from the mic and jam with the band and always owning the stage like an old touring pro with his low, gritty voice.

Steven Tyler praised the young talent first, and then Jennifer Lopez commented on the way he’s been able to make every song his own each week, even on a week that she thought would be especially challenging to him.

“You’re probably the most different artist that we’ve had up there,” Randy Jackson said, summing it up. “I’m waiting to see every time how you’re going to reinterpret somebody’s song … Dude, you drive your own car in your own lane and I love it.”

Watch Phillip Phillips Perform ‘Superstition’ on ‘American Idol’