Haunting melodies, relatable lyrical themes and impassioned performances abound on “Truthteller”, the third release by Jeff Saxon. While Saxon’s music may evade simplistic one-genre classification, his songs consistently evoke melodic beauty, lyrical depth and unwavering songwriting acumen. The themes of the songs here are often self-searching and profound; addressing the joys, frustrations and perplexities of life, loss and love. Yet despite the breadth of styles represented, Saxon exhibits an uncanny knack for seamlessly transporting himself and his listeners through a wide palette of sounds. From the soul-pop opener, “So Many Possibilities” to pop-reggae (“No Worries Tonight” and “My Own Island”) to A/C (the achingly beautiful ballad, “Even If I Lived On the Moon”) to the chilling paean of a battle-ravaged soldier returning home (“March On Bravely”) to the Claptonesque blues-rock title cut. But there are many other memorable and often riveting tracks, such as the cool Steely Dan influenced standout, “Space Station 13509” and the urbane, yet gritty blues numbers “Bring It On” and “Ainthatamuthafuhya”. There’s even a light-hearted jazz piece, “Bring Somethin’ To The Table”, which brings to mind the best work of Maria Muldaur, Harry Connick Jr. and John Sebastian. James Taylor fans and finger-style guitar aficionados will take note of Saxon’s deft touch and jazzily urbane chord voicings. Those fond of artists such as, Keb’ Mo’, Jamie Cullum, Eric Clapton and Paul Carrack, will appreciate Saxon’s rootsy and soulful vocal stylings and earnest, yet unpretentious songwriting. There is truly something for everyone on this ambitious and noteworthy recording. Jersey born and bred Saxon spent much of the past 2 decades performing in the Los Angeles area, but has returned back to his Garden State roots. He has two other excellent and equally eclectic CD’s: the “unplugged” acoustic collection, “Me, Myself, And I” (Relevant RR 61206) and the fully-produced set, “The Spin” (Relevant RR 61205).