Stepping out from behind the shadow of a well known act is not always easy, and it took some time for Javier Dunn to be confident enough to leave behind his role as a touring guitarist with Sara Bareilles and release his own material, but I think it’s safe to say he made the right choice.

On Tuesday, the singer/songwriter released his debut album, Trails, via Red Parade Music, and the following night he celebrated the release in his hometown of Los Angeles. Dressed to impress, Dunn hit the stage in a button-up and blazer, a glass of whiskey in one hand and a beer in the other. After thanking his fans and Hotel Cafe for their support, he got right into the music. Though his act is technically solo, Dunn was accompanied by a full band – keys, bass, drum, and even someone on a sampler pad. As a five-piece, the band was able to fill out the songs that comprise Trails, giving them even larger lives than their recorded counterparts.

As soon as he began to play, it was clear that Dunn is a professional, knowing every nuanace. Not only was his guitar work impeccably tight, his stage presence was equally impressive. As he strummed his guitar, his face passionately contorted, and while he sang he grooved and bounced in place. Though the album’s songs all share the same macabre theme of love lost and breakups, it was hard not to dance along to even the slower, sadder songs. Dunn’s energy was infectious and it quickly seeped into the crowd.

“Let’s hit ‘em with the hit, guys!” Dunn exclaimed just one song into the set. The band played the album’s first single, “Couple of Drinks,” and the packed Hollywood venue sang along to every word. At the end of “Clover,” a track Dunn admitted was about drinking too much in Koreatown, the instrumentation went quiet and a sample of Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors,” began to bump. Seamlessly, Dunn began to sing the song’s breakdown and ended as Timberlake does with the whispered confession of, “You are, you are, the love of my life.”

Though the most appealing thing about Dunn’s music is the incorporation of electronic elements into a traditional singer/songwriter formula, his acoustic tracks are also breathtaking. After concluding his nearly hour-long set, the crowd cheered “One more song,” and after awkwardly asking the sound engineer if it was OK, Dunn appeased his fans with a solo performance. Even with just his voice and a guitar, Dunn was able to create swelling, heart-wrenching music that was equally impressive to the audience. As he said his finally goodbye to the cheering crowd, his awe was evident. It was a special moment, to say the least.

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