I love Bruce Hornsby, and the fact that he is arguably the most versatile American musician working in popular music — ranging from jazz band to jam band — is not the only reason why . As we prepare for his Wednesday show at the House of Blues, let me tick down the reasons for my Hornsby affection.

I love Bruce Hornsby because... he is the author of several Middle America, porch-swing piano observances — The Way It Is, Mandolin Rain, The Valley Road — that went to the top of the adult contemporary (AC) charts a quarter-century ago, but have remained just as poignant everyday since. Hornsby hasn't gotten the press of peers like Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and Bonnie Raitt over the last few decades, but he has been spinning tales about The American Experience with every bit of the depth and emotion of any of them.

I love Bruce Hornsby because... he is a former member of the Grateful Dead and being able to play with that band is no easy task.They may look like hippy-dippy bus depot vagabonds with beards, wearing tie-dyed shirts, but The Dead members were about as close to elite jazz musicians as a blues-rockin' jam band can be without losing their psychedelic lifetime membership.

Their song vault includes hundreds of songs, spanning 30 years that were never played the same way twice. And Hornsby joined the fun for an 18-month stint (September 1990-March 1992) with a skill level, improvisational milieu and enthusiasm that made him sound like he was always meant to be a member of San Francisco's favorite flower children. Check out this recording from a 1990 show at Madison Square Garden (part of the Dick's Picks series of Grateful Dead live concert tapes) if you need proof.

Imagine Lebron James joining a pick-up basketball game featuring some of the greatest players to ever play the game and you start to understand the rarified air that Hornsby and so few other singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalists breathe. Part of that ability to pick up others song sketches so quickly comes from Hornsby's own penchant for flippin' the compositional script, which brings us to...

I love Bruce Hornsby because... he has never been intimidated by new musical styles and has been successful in more genres than most people can name. Beginning with the band he originally struck it big with in the mid-'80s, The Range (and I'm only using this as beginning for the sake of word economy. We are totally glossing over his early years writing music for 20th, touring the east coast with his brother's band and touring with Sheena Easton), he has explored everything from bluegrass and heartland rock to Gulf Coast swing and blues as a solo artist, with The Dead, leading the Bruce Hornsby trio and as duo teamed with the great Ricky Skaggs.

This trip to Houston features Hornsby backed by his decade-old band, The Noisemakers. The ensemble's most recent album, Levitate, is a return to the structured adult-contemporary fare Hornsby began his hit-making career with. Onstage, however, this crack group of musician's can make any facet of Hornsby rich musical progression come alive. And for that reason...

I love Bruce Hornsby because... he is arguably the most versatile American musicians working in popular music today and we Houstonians are lucky enough to see him, once again, work his magic live.

Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, Wednesday 8 p.m. at House of Blues