Find out where you can see Tinsley Ellis perform his newest album, 'Naked Truth'

Tinsley Ellis is stepping out of his comfort zone to bring a new sound to Albuquerque: acoustic blues.

Hailing from Georgia, Ellis wanted to create a mixture of traditional acoustic blues sounds that reminisce on the old days while bringing in modern lyrics that help audience members connect with classic sounds.

The idea led to his latest album, “Naked Truth,” a 12-track album with nine original songs that is an ode to the vintage sounds Ellis loves. He will perform songs from the album on Monday, Feb. 17, at Fusion.

“I had one file called acoustics and there was about 30 or 40 songs in that file,” Ellis said. “I put them in order and realized I had a pretty cool little acoustic album concept to do, and now I’ve just totally fallen in love with that style of blues.”

Ellis blends typical blues tones and lyrics with a new flair. The first song on the album, “Devil in the Room,” has a Mississippi Delta blues style, which he believes sets the tone for the rest of the album.

“I play that with slide guitar, with the slide on my finger on the metal resonator guitar, which is a 1937 National steel guitar, and that sort of sets the theme for the whole album,” he said. “Some of the songs I specifically wrote for the album ... with this, I was writing acoustically to actually record and perform them acoustically.”

Some of the songs on the album are tunes Ellis has played for years and finally recorded.

Ellis said the best part of his newest album is being able to record acoustically and give audience members a performance that mirrors the sounds on the album. While many albums feature different instrumentals backing the sound, many of the songs on “Naked Truth” only feature Ellis and his guitar.

“That’s why we named it ‘Naked Truth,’ because I feel, without actually being naked, exposed with just me and a guitar,” he said. “Except for the live album I did in 2005, this is the first time I’ve been able to go out and perform and have it sound just like the album.”

One of Ellis’ biggest struggles was trying to re-create the blues sounds while having lyrics audience members can relate to and that invoke deep feelings. Typically, blues music contains lyrics reminiscent on older times, according to Ellis.

“I’m not really a rural kind of guy and that’s a common lyric to an old blues song, so I have to kind of filter this music through my own experiences,” he said. “I sing about stuff like taxes and marital problems, things that people can relate to and that’s what blues is about, because I think the blues holds a mirror up to real life.”

That doesn’t mean all of Ellis’ songs are about taxes and laundry and everyday problems. Songs still feature many of the traditional themes from blues music, including rain and travels around the country.

Ellis is excited to bring his sounds to Albuquerque, having played here several times throughout his 35-year musical career.

“I think it was 1990 the first time I played there at The Dingo Bar, and now it’s got a different name,” he said. “I’ve come full circle, and I’ve got a lot of old friends inside and outside the musical community, so I’m excited to be back.”

Find out where you can see Tinsley Ellis perform his newest album, 'Naked Truth'