Photo Courtesy of Kill Rock Stars Jeff Hanson, who has often been compared to Elliott Smith, is playing at Solar Culture Tuesday at 9 p.m. Southerly will open.

Jeff Hanson's self-titled album had me second-guessing myself. Last week, after e-mailing his publicist about a possible interview with the man, I popped the disk into my car stereo for the first time.

I waited. The first track had some female guest singer with a beautiful angelic voice. It wasn't who I needed to hear, though. I skipped ahead a few tracks and low and behold, she was singing again. Jeff was nowhere to be heard.

With the realization, a silent terror slid up my entire body. Was Jeff a woman? What kind of parents name their daughter Jeff? What was the publicist going to think?

Well, turns out Jeff Hanson isn't a woman, but he is an extremely talented songwriter.

"I've been messing with gender right now," Hanson said when I interviewed him later. "There's a lot of guys with guitars out there singing and playing. If somebody says I have a different voice, I think its great actually."

On the phone, Jeff Hanson comes across as sure of himself, masculine and mostly just a creative spirit who is willing to break some barriers if need be. Surprisingly, the dreaded voice question went over with great ease, because Hanson is used to being asked.

"I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I started this," Hanson said. "If somebody wants to dislike my voice, I would much rather have them dislike it because it's feminine than like it because it sounds like every other singer songwriter out there."

Hanson's latest album is a big departure from the normal music scene, but also a departure from himself. Instead of three-minute folksy rock-pop tunes, he is expanding the length and concept of many selections on his album.

"I kind of wanted to create a certain feeling," Hanson said. "Three minutes wasn't long enough to say what I wanted to say. Maybe I'll make it seven minutes, slow it down a little bit and let the songs develop."

Hanson strives to create a painting in the listener's head. He doesn't want to spell out his songs completely with his lyrics, but leave them up for interpretation. In fact, much of his album creates a sort of surreal fantasy world that's different for every listener.

Just as each listener interprets the music individually, Hanson makes the music himself. Hanson, who plays most of the instruments on the album, considers touring alone a more intimate approach to music.

"I always like solo acoustic stuff. It's an easy way to travel," Hanson said. "I take a real honest approach to what I do. I don't think about it too much. I'm an honest guy who writes music and has something to say about something."

Jeff Hanson is playing Tuesday at Solar Culture, 31 E. Toole Ave. The show starts at 9 p.m. and is $6. Southerly opens.

Questions:
Favorite movie: "Goodfellas"
Last food eaten: Cheese omelet with egg substitute
Celebrity dream date: "I have no idea. I can't even answer that question."
Favorite clothing item: His jeans because he wears them every day