Gary Clark Jr., “JPEG RAW.”

Gary Clark, Jr. makes it clear with his new album that he doesn’t want to be only a blues guitar prodigy anymore.

His fourth album, JPEG RAW, arrives five years removed from his previous album, This Land. Clark is well-known for his virtuosic electric blues guitar playing, and he made his bones on the Austin club scene while still in his teens. But at home, he also makes beats, plays saxophone and has even copped to owning bagpipes. It’s understandable that he would want to break out of the mold.

Clark told his frequent collaborator and co-producer Jacob Sciba that he wanted the guitars on his new album to be an afterthought. While JPEG RAW doesn’t quite go that far, Clark does explore new soundscapes. He’s described the album as thematic, like a movie: “First, it’s about angst and confusion, the unknown. Next, it’s about looking at ourselves internally. And then it’s about what comes after: the hope and triumph.”

Opener “Maktub” (Arabic for “it is written” or “it is fated”) has a clear West African influence, with desert-blues-style electric guitar playing. “It’s time to deal with this trauma turned drama/ Get together re-write the mission statement/ Regardless who’s doin’ the shooting,” he sings.

Gary Clark Jr. has always fused blues rock and hip-hop in a way that’s contemporary and natural, and JPEG RAW is no exception. In 2014, he was the first artist to ever be nominated in both the Rock and R&B categories at the Grammys (and he won them both). He’s never shied away from using his musical credibility to tackle issues in his songwriting.

On the title track, he calls out biases that people of color face: “My boy just can’t walk around in the store with the hoodie hoodie/ Thinking it’s all gravy, goodie goodie/ They gon’ be watching you like lookie lookie/ Trigger-happy cashier, damn rookie rookie.” Clark has retconned JPEG RAW as an acronym for “Jealousy, Pride, Envy, Greed… Rules Alter Ego, Worlds,” but it is, of course, a digital photography term. Clark uses it here as a metaphor for reality versus the edited version.

For those who still want the blues, there’s “Don’t Start,” with Valerie June adding her vocals to the mix. It’s the old blues “another guy is eating my sweet potato pie” bit, with Clark threatening a romantic rival. “I ain’t gonna play nice, no I don’t care about the law/ I got this Colt 45 ACP and enough lead to stop this all,” he sings. It’s a tired trope, but his fuzzed-out guitar tone is good enough to let that slide and just enjoy the music.

“This is Who We Are” is more uplifting, and features singer-songwriter Naala on vocals. “A little bird told me I’m too loud/ A little bird better shut their mouth/ I walk by the side of the kings tonight / Let me show you how to rise, rise!” they sing together. Clark plays a blistering guitar over a virtual orchestra of synths; flute, oboe and bass, giving it a kind of ‘70s prog-rock feel.

The other star collaborations are fun if not necessarily the best tracks on the album. “Funk Witch U” with George Clinton is a funky mellow jam. “What About the Children,” the Stevie Wonder collab, despite its Helen-Lovejoy-esque plea, is an earnest entreaty to think of the plight of others. Wonder’s signature harmonica goes perfectly with Clark’s blazing guitar, and their voices sound great together, too. “It doesn’t matter when life is shattered/ To heartless people like you,” they sing, and they sound like they really mean it. Keyon Harrold plays a gorgeous trumpet on “Alone Together” as Clark sings about when it gets real in a relationship and the honeymoon is over.

June, Wonder, Clinton and Harrold are all luminaries, but the real shining stars are Clark’s sisters, Shanan, Shawn and Savannah, who sing backup in the band. The way their voices blend proves that special “siblings singing together” magic is real.

Clark is at a point in his career where he wants to show who he truly is, and not just imitate his blues forebears, and that’s fair enough. His use of samples of legendary artists (Thelonius Monk, Sonny Boy Williamson) in the song transitions shows reverence for them while transforming them into something new. JPEG RAW is an enlightening listen to who Clark is becoming as an artist. JPEG RAW shows that Clark is undeniably one of the brightest spots in the American music landscape today.

Follow Rachel Alm at Twitter.com/thouzenfold and Instagram.com/thousandfold.