If you haven’t heard Dust Jacket, the new release from Joel P. West, you’re missing out.

The album is great. The way it’s being distributed is innovative. But the careful consideration that Joel P. West and his new mix of backing musicians have taken in creating a rich, layered live performance is exceptional.

It’s easy to sound good in the studio, but Mr. West has done an incredible job of choosing an enlightened mix of tone and color to support his songwriting. A sucker for strings, Joel’s backing band of five features a cello and violin, spreading down a thick layer of melancholic haze beneath a delicate flight of poetry on What’s Supposed to Be. The mix of percussion supporting the outfit is refreshingly simple, grounded in a folksy blend that suits the strings well.

While your iTunes library will discover Joel’s new record is literally “Unclassifiable”, it has an intentionally strong Americana personality. It is the balance of this traditional background with shimmers of innovative arrangement on tracks like Pinhole that finds Dust Jacket in a new era.

You should join in the Dust Jacket Project to receive a full digital download for simply creating something, but do not stop there — see Joel and his band live.

In keeping with the new album, the opening at his recent show in front of a packed house at Lestat’s in Normal Heights was all about the steady locomotive rhythm building up to Joel’s startlingly raw vocals on his instant classic, 28th and NE Davis. See this passion unfurl live before the meritocracy claims him for crowds across the land, far away from San Diego.

We’ll post show dates soon! In the meantime, listen to Joel’s contribution to the s143 podcast, What the Cold Holds.