John West
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John West

Los Angeles, California, United States

Los Angeles, California, United States
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"Perez Hilton Blog"

Forget All The Other Ones You've Heard
Filed under: Listen To This

THIS is the best cover of Rihanna's Umbrella EVER!

Posted: August 5, 2007 at 7:51 pm
- Perez Hilton


"The Best of John West"

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
- The Pop Fix.Com


"John West"

Ok, this guy is cool at least. I mean, he wears hats well and “Rise” (Live 2007) is a very understated tune with some tasty guitar licks.

That’s not enough? How about a song entitled “Umbrella w Cello” (Umbrella Remix 2007). West offers some clean guitar chords with no effects, and lyrics that make every effort to tell a story. His singing style is interesting, as he uses his voice to add the echo instead of employing electronics. There are some comfortable harmonies in the vocals of the second verse. Good stuff here, as the song becomes slightly more complex. There is even a hint or two of Andy Davis, though Davis’ music is keyboard oriented and a bit more involved musically.

Those who want to experience West might hook up with “Keep It Together,” (Live 2007) a jazz piece with electric piano and a simple rim-shot backbeat. Driving music for the ocean highway.

West is currently very big in Southern California. He has shows scheduled at the Malibu Inn in Malibu, at Pasadena City College, at venues in Fresno and San Francisco, as well as at Soul Cypher in Oakland (a perfect place for this smooth player, I would imagine). West will also be in San Diego in March and at the Roxy with Matthew Santos. He’ll be around.

John West at MySpace

Tags: music, indie, independent music, indie music, john west

Posted by InBlaze on Monday, March 3, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Filed under Reviews · Tagged with
Comments - Indie Update


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

Photos

Bio

With simple honesty about complex emotions, John West creates soul without crooning, and pop without gloss. "In life, it's scary when you've never experienced something before, but if a song can be a guide, or a roadmap, that's a beautiful thing," says the now L.A.-based Southern boy who cites Otis Redding, Cat Stevens, Jill Scott and Jack Johnson as primary influences. "What I love about people's reaction to my music now is that people tell me it soothes and relaxes them. It helps them get through hard days easier. And the reason I wrote half of these songs was to get through my own hard days."

Much to John's satisfaction, his songs are providing a similar relief to his ever-expanding audience. Fans have been gathering to hear John play everywhere from Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade to such Los Angeles hotspots as The Roxy, Temple Bar, Viper Room, & Hotel Cafe, where John has consistently drawn capacity crowds. "The idea that I can bring different types of people together seems like a real calling," he says. "And if you can do that, then all of a sudden you can break down a lot of other barriers, because fear is usually the lack of knowledge and a lack of commonality. Music can bring people together so well."

Not only is John's music bringing people together, but it's caught the attention of media tastemakers, critics, and music industry heavyweights. As several major music labels vie for John's attention, he's been busy sharing the stage with such influential artists as Goapele, Les Nubians, Raphael Saadiq, Colbie Cailet, Tony Lucca, Cary Brothers, & KRS-ONE. With all the buzz surrounding John West, it's only natural that blogger, Perez Hilton, has also begun talking, calling John's remix of Rihanna's hit single "the best cover of 'Umbrella' ever."


In 2005, John moved to Los Angeles (the lovely Echo Park, to be exact) with a few friends to concentrate on his music career. "You'd think that you move to L.A. and you lose your soul. Or so they say," he laughs. "But when I got to L.A. my purpose deepened, and when that happens you can't stop that from translating into your work."

At his shows and online, John began selling an 11-track, self-released album. "My songs are like journal entries in some ways," he says, and if so, his diary makes for quite an interesting read. "I want to do something people listen to and walk away a little different." His current hit single, "Loved You Tonight" was inspired by a friend "who was always getting into MySpace crushes," while the reflective "Masquerade" offers guidance for those "lost in the circus," "lost in the maze." He ponders if "maybe day jobs pollute us" as he implores dreamers to persist with the anthemic "Gravity." With lyrics that are so relatable to anyone who listens, it's no coincidence that John West has become a two-time MySpace "Featured Artist" and has over 2.9 million plays on the social networking site. Music fans have proven that they want more of John and are eager to pass his message and music on to everyone they can reach.