Ute Lemper’s new album, Time Traveler, is a series of loosely connected refreshing contemporary jazz and pop songs that straddle a 23-year time span. It is a work that is bound to benefit from repeated listenings. Most challenging material this good is always worth the time it takes for the listener to catch up to its substantial offerings.

Lemper accomplishes an unusual feat. In this collection, the present in the past, and the past in the present, merge. Just as significantly, Lemper liberates herself musically from all categories. Ute Lemper has become her own genre. Throughout the album, Lemper’s phrasing is emotionally seductive, and energized yet relaxed. She is, and always, the master of the art of filling a phrase comfortably, while also extending it to compelling places.

These musical juxtapositions of past, present, and future, blend pop, blues, and jazz in tribute to the ongoing moment. The songs become a conversation between Lemper and herself, each of which take into account the trickiness of time itself. It’s a shimmery journey through previous unknown landscapes, guided by one of the strongest instruments around — the steely compass of Ute Lemper’s hopeful voice.