If India Arie and Jack Johnson had a love child and let Sam Sparro teach it to sing, its first soulful croon would sound an awful lot like John West. The 26-year-old’s LP features eight tracks of slick “neo-soul” samplings from his unique jazzy repertoire, plus one bonus acoustic track covering his well-known “Gravity.”

The Baton Rouge, LA, native is one part jazz, two parts amp, and altogether soulful. His musical career isn’t so much a genre of music as it is an enveloping vibe, an offshoot of his extremely chill persona and his singular devotion to his love for music.

The thing to know about West, however, is that his appeal doesn’t just rest on his sultry, course voice or on his simple, honest lyrics. Rather, the reason why West is able to hold his own in an industry so full of creative innovators and the next big fad is that his passion for song transcends genre.

On “Hope It All Works Out,” West’s lazy drawl mingles effectively with the heavier bass beats and snaps that drive the song. Just a few tracks before that, however, West ups the optimism in “Loved You Tonight,” his broken voice bobbing gently against the backdrop of velvety keyboard and guitars. He is at once blues and funk, and his lyrics are dripping with smooth double entendre and desire.

Think diary and social commentary, come together.

In “40 Days,” West croons about reevaluating his life by setting a 40-day, 40-night self-imposed ban on any form of contact with his lady of choice. The yearning in his voice is so clear that it’s hard to ignore, and the range of emotions that West’s revealing voice explores throughout the song and the rest of the album makes for soothing late-night driving music.

According to a biography posted on West’s website (www.johnpeterwest.com), West’s message extends beyond his music – and this earns him major brownie points. To him, producing music is a public service, in that it creates a space in his fans’ days to just de-stress and slow down a bit from the usual bustle of day-to-day living.

“This world is too fast and it’s too hectic and it’s super crazy,” West was quoted as saying in a biography on his site. “People are stressing out all the time about all sorts of things and if I can provide a little bit of relaxation, then that’s cool.”

West’s unique sense of rhythm and soul is refreshing to hear, an eargasm of beats and broken vocals saturated in talent. The POPFIX predicts West’s success for not only his artistic brilliance, but also his humility.

Beyond performances at Hotel Café and Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, West is currently making his debut throughout the nation on a national tour with stops in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and his hometown Baton Rouge.

And in the spirit of the bigger picture and his bighearted attitude, a good portion of West’s music earnings go to charities to help Hurricane Katrina relief funds and art programs for displaced youth.

So while it’s West’s eclectic background – moving from the soulful South to sunny SoCal (he’s now based out of local joint Echo Park) – that has made his sound so unique, and his view of the musical and social communities so much more global, it will be his gracious attitude and generous spirit that will carry him far in the industry.

Mama would be proud.
Rating: 3.5 of 4

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