A & E

There's a maturity, a rare depth, evident in Sonya Kitchell's music that belies her age. Her second album, "The Storm," sounds for all the world as if she's been at this music thing a lot longer than her 19 years. Her ability is such that jazz great Herbie Hancock acts as her mentor, having taken Kitchell on tour.

But therein lies the rub: While Kitchell transcends her peer group -- which, she admits, usually is a good thing -- there's also a tendency for her audiences to be older than she is.

"I think I definitely draw an older crowd," says Kitchell, who appears Tuesday at Club Cafe in the South Side. "I don't want it to go away, but I also want to draw a younger crowd. I feel like ('The Storm') is a pretty young record, and young people would like it if they heard it."

The youthfulness of "The Storm" is, in part, due to Kitchell's age -- no matter how advanced she is musically, that comes through -- and partly due to the musicians she enlisted to perform on the release: brothers Andrew and Brad Barr of The Slip. Regarded as an adventurous, innovative and sometimes avant-garde band, The Slip's sound never will be associated with the singer-songwriter milieu.

Which is why Kitchell was ecstatic to have them on board for "The Storm."

"(The Barrs) are a huge part of the record, and the sound," she says.

Kitchell, who is from western Massachusetts, met the Barrs a couple of years ago at the Boston Music Awards, and then hooked up with them a year later at the Bonnaroo music festival. She realized the brothers could add another layer to her music, but that enlisting their talents was not without risks.

"I felt like I was taking a huge chance, because there are a lot of musicians I have played with a lot, and I hadn't played with these guys," Kitchell says. "And I was worried that it wasn't going to work out. But it did."

Andrew Barr, who plays drums and percussion, and Brad Barr, who plays guitars and keyboards, provided (along with producer Malcolm Burns) a musical canvass that transcends the singer-songwriter standard. "Who Knows After All" has a dusty, neo-country feel; "Borderline" inhabits the rarefied plateau where smart indie pop resides; and "Walk Away" is an alternative take on a torch song.

"I'm more creative around these guys than I am around most people, because they are so creative," Kitchell says. "They have so much fun experimenting, and they are extremely present and invested in whatever music they are making."

While Kitchell embraced the chance to work with the Barrs, it's Hancock who became one of the first champions of her music. Hancock caught one of her shows after she released her debut, "Words Came Back to Me," on Starbucks' Hear Music label. He then invited her to perform at the Sonoma Jazz Festival in California, and subsequently took her on tour for two weeks.

Hancock's advice on music, however, has been overshadowed by the life lessons he presented to his young charge. Kitchell watched how he treated others, fans and members of his band, with kindness. She admired his humanity, his flair for music.

And she also was struck by Hancock's more human qualities.

"He's a dork, and he loves technology," Kitchell says. "He tells jokes, just like any other guy. You hang out with him until 6 in the morning, and you're talking about stupid things. ... It's important to be generous and compassionate, but it's also important to be humble enough to be silly and stupid."

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