There are certain things about Minnesota that just don’t sit right with some Sconnies. Things like the goofy smile the Gopher mascot always has plastered on his face, Minnesota’s absent devotion to cheese, Brett Favre and the ever-elusive “Minnesota Nice” myth that never seems to translate.

But there is one Twin Cities treasure that has the ability to cancel out all of the above listed sins — singer, songwriter and general poetic genius Mason Jennings.

His folk-pop, soul-filled meditations on women, God, life, love and politics have the ability to craft elegant melodies that come together in a glorious matrimonial union with a heated passion of raw rock ‘n’ roll.

Jennings is not Minnesota-born, but he fell in love with our neighboring state when he discovered the prolific music scene of Minneapolis as a teen.

“I like the energy. … It’s really quiet there, but it’s really peaceful, and at the same time the weather is really severe,” Jennings said in a recent interview with The Badger Herald. “I feel inspired there and it was the first time I really felt at home when I was a kid.”

Jennings grew up in Pittsburgh but found no outlet for his musical cravings.

“I was always surrounded by hills and the music scene was really poor and there was just no real musical community, which has changed now. … I just felt really trapped,” Jennings said.

It was the liberating Minneapolis atmosphere and city inspirations that motivated him to defer mainstream label contracts when creating his first album in 1998, focusing instead on his own poetic independence by producing and releasing the self-titled album himself.

Since then, he has produced eight successful albums under various labels before recently settling on Jack Johnson’s label, Brushfire Records, for his most recent musical balladry, In the Ever, released last year.

Johnson and Jennings met while playing at a small Minnesota Lutheran college in 2001. They each admired the other’s musical style and remained friends after their tour together ended.

“When I was done with my set he said to me, ‘Man, I love your music, you should just keep playing.’ He gave me his CD, and I gave him mine and we just kept in contact over the years,” Jennings said.

Although Jennings may have signed to a commercial record label, he still finds ways to stay true to the quirky, creative techniques his cult-like following has come to worship. For In the Ever, he recorded the entire album in the silent woods of Minnesota with only a laptop and two microphones.

“I just find it so inspiring [to record in the woods] because when you’re in the studio it feels like a hospital with all the machinery and all the wires running everywhere and they try to keep it really sterile, but I like to keep the windows open. I like being in just a room with a drum kit or just a guitar or piano sitting in it,” Jennings said.

The magnificence of Minnesota’s natural setting is not Jennings’s only muse. His family also influences the lyrical verses of his tunes. In fact, it was a question his son asked him about where he was before his was born, if his was in the “ever,” that turned out to be the album’s title.

“They are the central part of my life and the most inspiring part of my life. Being a parent, you know, you’re around kids a lot and it’s that creative imagery and real wonder that I just think is real inspiring to be around,” Jennings said.

So why not let Jennings give you some inspiration to clear your head of midterm woes and hook-up qualms and allow him to open the pathway to creativity with a concert of promised poetic opulence.

Jennings advised, “Check [the music] out online and see if you like it. Music is kind of like food; it’s whatever you’re in the mood for. I just make music what I like and hope that it will resonate with people.”

Throw in a slice of Wisconsin cheese and this concert could be heaven.

Mason Jennings will be performing with Nathaniel Rateliffe & The Wheel at the Majestic Theatre Nov. 21 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $18.