Biography

With the release of his se-titled debut in 2003, newcomer Javier proved himse a welcome addition to the canon of intriguing R&B singers. Indeed, not since Babyface has there been an artist who could write and sing beautifully afted songs as well as throw down with an acoustic guitar and do it all with such pureness. "I like to be versatile with the styles of music I do but I try to keep it true to the genre while stretching it at the same time. A lot of record companies don't allow an artist to have that kind of eative freedom, so I consider myse one of the lucky ones."

On Javier's latest opus, the stunning Left of Center, the Connecticut native brings even more talent to the table. Embracing diverse musical palettes that include splashes of R&B, hip-hop, rock, pop balladry and straight-up soul, Left of Center is an engaging project that should even have naysayers praising Javier's name. "Besides me being left handed," he laughs, "the title Left of Center is just my way of saying to the listeners, 'This album has a slightly different feel than what you might find on some other traditional R&B albums.'"

"When I started working on Left of Center, I was just really excited to get back in the studio and put some of the ideas I had in my head down," Javier recalls. "As time went by, I would go from studio to studio recording song after song. By the time we were done, I had about 38 songs to choose from. If I had my way, there would have been 20 songs on this album but you can't always get what you want I guess" he laughs."