Keb’ Mo’ returns to path of the blues

o What: Keb’ Mo’ in concert.

o When: 7 p.m. April 30.

o Where: Aladdin Theater, 3017 S.E. Milwaukie Ave., Portland.

o Cost: $42 to $59 through Ticketfly, 877-435-9849 or ticketfly.com.

o Information: 503-234 -9694 or visit aladdin-theater.com.

Not that Keb’ Mo’ needed any further confirmation, but he knew just how misunderstood his 2011 album, “The Reflection,” had been when Grammy voters, showing the same level of perception that once enabled Jethro Tull to take home the trophy in the heavy metal category, nominated “The Reflection” for a Grammy in the best contemporary blues album category.

“That puzzled the (expletive) out of me,” he said in a recent phone interview. “What that told me was that creatively, I’m a trusted name in the blues, so to speak, and the record stood on its own because to get through that, the gauntlet of the blues, the listening for the Grammys, it takes a lot to get through that. You’ve got to have something with quality. So the quality must have been good enough to where people dug it for it to end up in that category. It’s a Grammy-nominated record, but that also told me that everyone misunderstood it.”

Certainly if there’s one thing Keb’ Mo’ knows, it’s what a blues song sounds like. And “The Reflection” was definitively not a blues album. Instead, it was an opportunity for Keb’ Mo’ (real name Kevin Moore) to explore a side of his music that had only surfaced here and there before — his taste for sleek R&B and soul.

To say that wasn’t what many Keb’ Mo’ fans expected — or wanted — would be stating the obvious. Even going into “The Reflection” project, Moore anticipated he’d have to deal with some mixed reaction to the album.

“I knew in making a record like that, there were going to be some people going ‘What’s this?!,’ ” Moore said. “But you know, I make the records for me so that I’m clearly satisfied. I can’t just cater to my audience to the point that I throw myself under the creative bus.”

Moore shouldn’t have to deal with any of that sort of confusion with his next album, “BLUESAmericana,” which was released April 22.

“It’s back on the Keb’ Mo’ — the Keb’ Mo’ that everybody knows, even though ‘The Reflection’ is a Keb’ Mo’ path, too,” he said. “But this one is more like the path that everyone knows.”

Moore said the new album (which has been preceded by a five-song EP that includes three tracks that won’t be on the full album), will be largely acoustic blues, but has some other feels, as well.

“There’s still some very acoustic stuff on it. But it kind of started rocking a little bit, too,” Moore said. “The acoustic guitar leads, the acoustic leads on everything, it does lead, because I started each track with an acoustic instrument. Like the way I cut the record, I decided on my tempo, and I got my tempo right. Then I laid down a vocal with my guitar.”

With its mix of acoustic-centric blues and some more uptempo material, the new album figures to line up with the sound that first earned Moore recognition and praise when he came on the national scene with his 1994 self-titled debut album.

That CD earned strong reviews for its back-to-basics, largely solo acoustic blues sound and its sharply crafted tunes.

Since then, Moore has gradually expanded his sound, incorporating a full band on CDs such as the Grammy-winning 1996 release “Just Like You,” “Slow Down” (a 1998 release that also won a Grammy), “The Door” (2000) and “Keep It Simple” (2004) — all without losing the acoustic blues foundation in his sound. Then came the left turn of “The Reflection.”

But with his return to blues, fans won’t hear the slick R&B of “The Reflection” in the shows Moore is playing now as he begins a busy stretch of touring.

In fact, he’s stepping back from the full-band format of recent tours and performing with only one other musician — multi-instrumentalist Tom Shinness.

“We had a six-piece for awhile,” Moore said. “That was really a lot of fun. It got to be a heavy load. I work better in a small ensemble because I need the room to express what I’m doing. I really need the space. That’s something you’ve really got to come to grips with. When I’m doing a solo show, that’s the ultimate space, man. But when I put a band together, often I think they don’t understand the space that I need. Not to (criticize) any of the band members, they’re excellent musicians, but that’s a hard thing to understand sometimes. So I’m getting down to smaller pieces.”