$6.99

After listening to the first track of Jack Foster III's debut album Evolution of Jazzraptor, you can be forgiven for thinking you've got Jack figured out. Bohemian Soul is a luscious, stirring, alternative rock ballad. And it's easy to think you've pegged him as another alternative rock singer/songwriter.

But a few seconds into the second track, Cat's Gone Nine, and it's clear that Foster is also comfortable traveling into territory known for swampy blues roots music.

And then comes the third track, Feel It When I Sting , in which Jack and producer Trent Gardner (Magellan, Explorers Club) dust off the synthesizer for a classic progressive rock sound.

Wait, there are still more genre turns ahead. Tiger Bone Wine and Lucifer's Rat turn up the heat - and the Stratocaster dirt - for some nostalgic rock, And Nirvana in the Notes is a sensitive ballad inspired by jazz piano virtuoso Shelly Berg (who tickles the keys on this extended track and credits include Chicago, The Royal Philharmonic, Bonnie Raitt and the LA jazz scene).

Soon it all becomes clear - Jack Foster III is a genre bender of the highest order.

But here's the surprising kicker: the songs work together brilliantly, made cohesive by Jack's sensitive voice, and sophisticated - but never intrusive - arranging by Trent Gardner, who plays keyboard on most of the tracks, and a steady back beat supplied by renown producer Robert Berry on bass and drums.

The inventive lyrics (many written with co-lyricist Melanie Myers) range from poetic introspection to social commentary - but they never traffic in the negative or the pedantic. These lyrics could very well stand on their own without a musical note behind them.

The glue that holds all the tracks together so deftly is Jack's mature and wistful world view. And then it dawns on you: Jack is a philosopher with a guitar in his hands. And like all good philosophers he's on a journey of exploration.

Thankfully for us, Jack's terrain is song. This album brings us to many interesting vistas - all worth visiting. And after listening to all nine songs on Jazzraptor , one can only hope that Jack's journey has just begun, and he'll share with us on future albums whatever musical insights he may discover during his exploration of song.