Willie Jones Surprises Judges by Singing Josh Turner’s ‘Your Man’ on ‘X Factor’
On Thursday night's (Sept. 20) North Carolina audition episode of 'X Factor,' Willie Jones -- a 17-year-old Louisiana native wearing an acid-washed denim vest and jeans and a boxtop Afro -- opened the show with a surprising and sensational rendition of Josh Turner's 'Your Man.'
While Jones looked like the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, he stunned both viewers and judges. We were expecting him to perform something from the hip-hop world, since he was dressed the part, with his edgy style. But he opted for a country song in Turner's 'Your Man' -- coincidentally very first song we ever heard Scotty McCreery sing on 'American Idol.' And look at where he ended up! See where this is going?
Jones executed the song beautifully, offering a low rumble in the same register as Turner. He also drove 14 hours to to audition, so it's clear that he wants to make waves.
L.A. Reid called him "an absolute original," while fellow southerner Britney Spears was "surprised," since she wasn't expecting him to pull out an authentic country song. Simon Cowell also described him in superlative fashion, commenting, "Your voice is a sensational recording voice. This is a day to remember, the first time I heard Willie Jones."
Something tell us that Willie Jones could have a similar reality singing competition trajectory as McCreery. He got the same reaction from the same song and his future looks bright. He's off to 'X Factor' boot camp.