Stuart Davis has always made it known that he draws more inspiration from books than songwriters, which could be why his upcoming fifth record has more in common with a novel than an album.

When the singer/songwriter began writing music for what would eventually become “Kid Mystic,” his focus was to let the ideas present themselves.

One at a time, the ideas developed and soon Davis had written six songs which were all somehow interrelated.

“I started to notice each song fitting like a chapter in a book,” Davis said. “I thought, I don’t know if I want to do this, but it was happening that way anyway.”

Davis decided not to impose on his own cohesive blueprint and let each song clue its own development. In the end, Davis had written 17 songs, 12 of which would become the chapters of his first-ever concept album.

“It is by far my most worthwhile contribution to music,” Davis said. “It is a very big departure from my other records.

“My material has always been smart and witty. It has pressed buttons and demanded attention. But this record is not about how smart or how funny I can be.”

Davis said “Kid Mystic” still very much has an edge to it, but is much more poetic than what his fans are used to.

“It’s a very soulful record,” he said. “There is more substance and depth to it than anything I have ever done.”

“Kid Mystic” is the story of a boy born into “a very unusual family.” The collection of songs trace the evolution and development of the boy and his growing ability to deal with such topics as death and the apprehension of God.

“‘Kid Mystic’ is a fairly accurate moniker for the collection of songs,” Davis said. “One thing I am really happy with on how ‘Kid Mystic’ turned out, is the whole record manages to live through a kid’s spiritual evolution without once mentioning any religious institution.

“It’s not sugary — there’s no dogma or ideology,” he explained.

Davis is a firm believer that religion is much too huge to fit into one institution. “It can’t be departmentalized,” he said.

Death is also a reoccurring theme on “Kid Mystic,” the most obvious being “Practice Dying,” a song Davis describes as a “three-and-a-half minute manual to become familiar with death.”

From the start of the record, Kid Mystic does not have a resolved understanding of death. “Practice Dying” is his first attempt to come to terms with it.

“It is an attempt to warm up the abilities he possesses,” Davis said. “He pretends to go through an embodiment change so that when death comes, it won’t be unfamiliar to him.”

As the Kid Mystic story continues, the character experiences a transformation in his world view and develops a new understanding of death.

“The ending is very surprising and unusual,” Davis said. “It is happy, but won’t hit people in a warm fuzzy sort of feeling.”

The addition of “Kid Mystic” into the Davis repertoire is bound to change the singer’s live show, which is known for its spontaneous humor and energy. Davis said he may on one or more occasions play the songs on “Kid Mystic” in the order they appear on the record.

“But a good record experience does not always make for a good concert experience,” Davis said. “It has a different shape to it.”

Whichever shape or form Davis’ music is in, the focus is always on the lyrics. “The music is the canvas and the lyrics are the paint,” he explained. “Lyrics occupy the most prominent space and serve to deepen the relation between a song and a listener.”

Which is why Davis’ musical preference may come as a surprise to many people. The singer said his favorite music is Bach’s “C Minor, Oboe and Violin Concerto.”

“It moves me much deeper than any songwriting,” he said. “Lyrics represent something, but is never really the thing.

“When I listen to a song with lyrics, it is abstract word construction describing the thing. But when I listen to Bach, I am listening to the thing itself,” he said.

Davis will be doing his own thing tonight as The M-Shop celebrates the release of “Kid Mystic.”

Tonight will be the first time the disc is available.

The show is scheduled for 9 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students.