When Corey Harris hears the blues, he knows exactly what he wants.

"I want to hear a person’s spirit and how they really feel inside,” Harris says. “And I want them to communicate that to me so I feel it too. I want lyrics that engage me. Let me know that something is going on and do it in your own original voice.”

That description applies precisely to Harris’s work on his latest release, Crossroads, an album the blues/reggae artist considers to be his most original to date.

“I wanted it to be diverse,” Harris says. “But each part relates.”

From Africa, where he spent time preparing for this album, to his neighboring county in Louisiana, Harris blends influences into a melting pot perfectly labeled by the title.

Harris will present listeners with the Crossroads experience live at Jammin’ Java this Wednesday at 8 p.m.