Hooker's Got the Blues Down Deep

Chill Out

John Lee Hooker

Pointblank records

In a world besieged by soul music without any soul, it is comforting to know that the king of Boogie, John Lee Hooker, still reigns as a master of the blues.

Mr. Hooker has just released a new album, Chill Out, which once again showcases his remarkable talent, collaborating with other musical luminaries like guitarist Carlos Santana and singer Van Morrison. As a singer, songwriter and guitarist, Hooker conveys the power of the blues like few others today. His name belongs in anybody's list of blues greats, along with the likes of Robert Johnson, Elmore James and Muddy Waters.

As far as blues albums go, Chill Out is a palatable and fairly reliable work. Unfortunately, when Hooker strays too far from his standard style, the results are disappointing. For example, the first song, "Chill Out (Things Gonna Change)," sounds like Santana's own classic "Black Magic Woman" at its high point, but at its low point resembles a Bar Mitzvah band's version of Tito Puente. In a sense, Hooker's voice and Santana's style are completely incongruous. Or in other words, blues and samba just do not mix.

When Hooker does stick to the blues, watch out. He peppers the blues with his biting guitar licks and genuine squeals of anguish. Indeed, it seems as if nothing goes right in his life. Hooker sings of heartbreak, airline delays and biblical floods with the typical personal torment that makes the blues so affecting.

Among the better tracks on the album is a duet with Van Morrison, the tune "Serves Me Right/Syndicator." Hooker's voice-rough, vibrant and dripping with years of Jim Beam-mixes well with Morrison's brighter tone. As the song progresses, the two artists lose themselves in its driving melody, calling to one another and responding in true Gospel fashion.

Hooker shows another side to his talent in the more traditional, talkin' blues song "Tupelo." The center of the song is a sparse, melodious lick repeated over a haunting narrative of a flood in Tupelo, Mississippi.

On a more uplifting note, Hooker's classic cut, "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," Proves to be the most enjoyable song on the album. Considering that this song has been previously released, its place on Hooker's latest album is a bit of a mystery. Nevertheless, this uppity anthem has lost none of its punch, as it tells the story of a man drinking and drugging a woman off his mind. Hardly the portrait of a healthy relationship, the tune is a perfect setting for Hooker to croon the lyric, "sitting here drinking/ getting stoned/ yeah, yeah," with all the conviction of a man who has lived and sung the blues for more than fifty years.