I second Mandrill. 12k free emails per month, $0.20 per thousand after that (and cheaper for very large volumes). This is for a shared IP address with other free tier users. You can add a dedicated IP to build just your own reputation for $30/month. You can easily setup DKIM for your domains even on the free shared IP tier. Libraries in many languages + restful API if needed for others.
Definitely sounds like it will be easier to have another service handle it so I can focus on my main goals. What's the advantage of having a static ip for your email delivery?
Your deliverability when using a dedicated IP won't be affected by the email quality of others (on a shared IP).
Aha, that makes sense. Thank you for the information.