Bruce Hornsby fans who grew up on “That’s the Way It Is” and “Mandolin Rain” have been finding themselves in for quite a few surprises over the years, as Hornsby has strayed from his old sound to explore everything from bluegrass with Ricky Scaggs to jazz with Jack DeJohnette. With the Noisemakers, who’ve served as his backing group for several years now, Hornsby ventures all over the musical map. “Paperboy” feels like a Steely Dan outtake. The title track adds a vague hip-hop influenced beat and tightly recorded harmonies for a technologically manipulated pop tune, and “Space Is the Place” further explores this modernist groove. Hornsby has always used top-notch production to get his points across and Levitate is no exception: it’s carefully tailored, with guitars and horns punctuating when necessary. “Invisible” was used in World’s Greatest Dad, while “Here We Are Again” and ”Michael Raphael” use piano and orchestration to suggest a movie or play to soon accompany.