Jen Foster likes to stay busy. A native Texan, the out Nashville-based singer / songwriter is a constant blur of activity these days, touring as she records a new album — even though her last album, 2006’s “The Underdogs,” is barely a year old.

“I was just in the studio with Peter Stroud, who’s Cheryl Crow’s guitar player, a couple of guys from the Wallflowers and Sean Hurley, who’s the bass player for Vertical Horizon,” Foster said of the talent she’s pulled together for the new record, which she hopes to have out by early next year. “It’s a really amazing group of musicians and the songs are some of my best yet. I’m really excited about the record.”

Foster, whose sound and style is often compared to the likes of Crow, Stevie Nicks and Joan Osbourne, is looking to broaden her horizons and said these days she’s writing with more that just her live performances in mind.

“I’m always writing and, now, a lot more co-writing here in Nashville with the hope of getting some songs cut by other artists, possibly by country artists as well as working on getting songs on film and TV,” she said. “So I’m kind of doing two things right now — working on my artist career and touring and also working on a songwriting career as well.”

Foster said she’s already getting noticed in GLBT film circles.

“I have a song, ‘She,’ which is in a gay film called ‘Girl Play’ and I just recently had a song place in a short film called ‘Happenstance’ by Joyce Draganoski that won a GLBT competition called ‘Shout’ that HBO put on,” she said. “One of my songs, ‘The One Who Got Away,’ is featured in the film.”

Foster is set to take a break from the studio to do a string of shows, which will bring her Aug. 5 to Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St. The show will be her first Philadelphia appearance since 2004.

“For the most part, I tour in the southeast, but I’m starting to really focus on getting to the coasts more, especially the West Coast because that’s where the film and TV industry is,” she said. “With this new record, I really want to take things to the next level and get as much exposure as possible.”

Foster’s studio sound is very lush and band-oriented at times, but she usually opts to perform with a more stripped-down group when she tours.

“Me and a percussion player is kind of how I prefer to do it,” she said. “It’s a lot less to deal with on the road, frankly. The more people you have on the road, the more there is to worry about. It’s good to keep it simple. Unless you’re playing arenas and you have an entourage to make it all sound great and run smoothly, it’s better to keep it simple. A lot of the sound systems in the smaller clubs don’t do well with a full band. The vocals get drowned out. The less the soundman has to deal with, the easier it is and the better it sounds.”

When she’s touring, Foster finds time to lend her talents to good causes, performing on benefit shows for organizations like the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.

“If I can help out, I try to,” she said. “You definitely have to get paid to make a living, but I try to do a certain number of benefits every year.”

Foster’s hard work is paying off, as she often finds herself performing on the same stages with some of the biggest and sometimes-iconic singer/songwriters in the country.

“I played on the Olivia cruise last year when Melissa Ethridge was on the cruise, which was really cool,” she said. “I’ve opened for Sophie B. Hawkins, Shawn Mullins and Patty Griffin. I shared the stage one time a few years ago, before anyone knew who John Mayer was, I played and then John played at this festival in Nashville. It’s definitely always good to play with artists that you respect and are doing well.”

For more information on Foster and her upcoming local show, visit www.jenfoster.com or www.tinangel.com or call (215) 928-0978.

Larry Nichols can be reached at larry@epgn.com.