Singer/songwriter Javier, described as soulful to the core, returns to Stage Door by popular demand. His intoxicating vocals, piano and acoustic guitar leave every audience begging for more.

At 8 p.m. Thursday, Javier will put on his live performance on the stage of E.J. Thomas Hall. His performance is part of the Rock the Roo After Dark series of E.J. Thomas.

Javier is an R&B singer who mixes hip-hop, rock, pop balladry and straight-up soul into his songs. Embracing diverse musical palettes, Javier’s song is distinct from traditional R&B songs.

With the release of his self-titled debut album in 2003, newcomer Javier proved himself a welcome addition to the canon of intriguing R&B singers. Since he was in high school, he performed in all the school shows.

Doing Broadway was one of my earlier dreams. I am definitely interested in getting into acting, but first I have to get a strong foot holding in the music industry. That’s where my heart is the most, I have to say.

Javier’s musical gifts took him to the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music, where he founded an R&B based a cappella quintet that performed at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater. Javier graduated with a degree in Music Education, and soon afterwards he started on his path as a world-class performer as the lead singer for a neo-funk group (called EmCQ) dedicated to the legacy of Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Maceo Parker and Tower of Power among others.

Being in that band really helped me grow vocally. I had never actually fronted a band or done anything like that before. I found another gear that I could kick into that I didn’t know I had, Javier said.

When that band opened for neo-funk luminaries Soulive, Javier’s performance drew the attention of Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno, who recommended Javier to be the lead singer for jam-band heroes the Derek Trucks Band, led by Allman Brothers guitarist Derek Trucks. Javier spent almost two years touring with Trucks, exploring onstage everything from rock and soul to blues, jazz and beyond.

But while he found the experience illuminating, ultimately Javier had to go it alone. A subsequent three-song solo demo started a bidding war which landed him with Capitol Records.

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. 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 creative freedom, so I consider myself one of the lucky ones.

When talking about the R&B music, Javier has his own thought. I think for a minute, R&B had kind of lost its way, Javier says. The title Left Of Center is just my way of saying to the listeners, ‘This is not just straight ahead R&B.’ I think there is more to it than what you’d hear on the average R&B album.

” #1.1979867:942263993.jpg:R&B singer/songwriter Javier:R&B singer/songwriter Javier to perform at EJ Thomas Hall on Thursday at 8 p.m.:Elizabeth Rose”