Joshua Ledet went first on tonight’s episode (March 7) of ‘American Idol‘ and he absolutely tore through Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Wish,’ delivering a performance so full of soul that we think they heard him all the way up there in heaven. He was grooving while singing and even gave J. Lo a shout out from the stage, mid-song, which was a very nice touch. It was evidence of his charm and he exuded confidence as America watched.

Up until now, we had mostly seen emotional ballads from Ledet, but he turned up the tempo and was — how do you say? — feelin’ it! He pretty much pushed himself to the front of the line with tonight’s quality entertainment. It was time for Ledet to show us that he is versatile. Mission accomplished.

Ledet has a bit of a gospel vibe, and before his perf, he consulted episode mentor Mary J. Blige on how to channel that part of his personality, as opposed to muting it. Since she has a similar background, she was the perfect person to give advice. By the time he hit the stage, he was one with the beat. He punched it and the results were, as Randy Jackson said, “flawless.”

Watch Joshua Ledet Perform ‘I Wish’ on ‘American Idol’

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