I heard JP at Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, several months ago, during Open Stage night. I was mightily impressed by JP’s stage presence and musicianship, so I bought his CD, The Live Beta Project.

The opening number, Always, catches JP’s spirit — an open-hearted emotional vocal style, strong yet vulnerable, very much feeling what he’s singing about. JP HoeHis guitar work nicely supports and complements his voice. On the album, his band, The Truly Richards, delivers the rock context; although I preferred his solo interpretation at the Cedar Cultural Center, just JP and his guitar.

Closing with Bowie’s All The Young Dudes works okay, it’s a respectable homage.

But the best of the album is JP’s stuff — Since You Could Be and Why Can’t You Say both make my A-list. Always also makes the list. And I particularly like Nicest — I may want to cover this one myself.

All of his work sounds confident, competent, right on — the guy knows what he’s about.

The arrangements offer a lot of dynamic range, not exactly rock-opera, yet dramatic, almost theatrical. Perhaps inevitably; it’s a live-in-concert album.

Yet I get the same larger-than-life vibe from JP himself. I mentioned stage presence. The guy has got charisma and then some — when he opens up onstage, you can feel the emotional truth of the songs, right there in real time. So, I suppose that theater and music run concurrently through his shows.

I should add, he was humble in person when I bought his CD. Nice guy — he was carrying on a solo tour at the time, his band having dissolved earlier in the tour — a real trooper.

Keep an ear open for JP Hoe, expect more good things to come.

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