Someone was obviously paying attention in 1990 when the Robert Johnson box set began to gallop up the charts on its way toward more than 500,000 sales. Bonnie Raitt's breakthrough the year before didn't hurt the cause of acoustic blues, either.

Both of which explain why Keb' Mo' finds himself on the newly revived OKeh Records, which Epic hopes to make an eclectic blues label. A Los Angeles studio veteran, guitarist Kevin Moore was one of the last signings of the disco era to Casablanca Records, where he released one album. Then in 1990, Moore started listening to Robert Johnson. What he heard was a revelation that brought new meaning to his life and music. So Moore started playing acoustic guitar and learning country-blues styles.

There are two Johnson tunes on Keb' Mo' (slang for Kevin Moore): a straightforward guitar-vocal version of "Kindhearted Woman Blues" and a funked-up "Come On in My Kitchen." The remaining 11 songs are all written or co-written by Moore. Five feature solo guitar. "Every Morning" includes an instrumental break that's 40 seconds of slide heaven. But all here is not Delta blues. "Victims of Comfort" might have sprung from the hands of former Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen.

When the band joins in, it's not to upstage the guitars. Drummer Quentin Dennard provides a shuffle to "Angelina." James "Hutch" Hutchinson, from Bonnie Raitt's group, contributes his oompah bass. Tommy Eyre's keyboards provide shading, except on "She Just Wants to Dance," where he rocks like Johnnie Johnson. Keb' switches among acoustic guitar, banjo and National steel and even lays down an electric solo with fat, round tones on the churchy "Don't Try to Explain." And with John Porter, whose credits include Buddy Guy's Damn Right, I've Got the Blues, producing, it all sounds seamless. (RS 697)

ANDY LYMAN