The Healer

Very good album. I enjoyed the artist he paired with for each song.

Great album. Nothing to add.

Some absolute classic blues, hitting everything youd expect. Given it was released in 1989 and features Santana I assume this was a legend in his later career, so props for keeping the sound authentic. Very easy to enjoy but also didn't grab me with anything unexpected. Would be nice live or in the background but that doesn't get a score better than 3.5.

Title track was amazing, and the rest was decent too. Works well with the guests, and the Bonnie Rait number was also pretty good.

A lot of the public reviews seem to dislike this album and all the collaborations on it, saying it dilutes his creativity..... Suppose that's lost on me because I'm unfamiliar with John Lee Hooker. I thought this was a really good blues album. Didn't mind the collaborations. The final few solo tracks were good too though 3.5 but I'm going 4, perhaps I'll seek out his solo stuff

Blues had a sort of revival in the 1980's and this was made at the tail end of said revival. It's a fine album, but I feel John Lee Hooker's style clashes with the shiny modern production. The Healer is a good song, but the rest of the album is kind of forgettable. Still a decent album, bit of a weird inclusion.

This is a nice enough blues album - but I am in no way a blues expert. My standouts: The Healer, I'm In the Mood (god I love Bonnie Raitt)

The lyrics the lyrics are repetitive are repetitive. Maybe that is Hooker’s style, but it isn’t for me. Guitar-wise, blues is fine but it all sounds like every other blues song Ive heard.

The least interesting part of this was John himself. All guest vocalists completely outshined him, same with the non-vocal guests. The few solo songs on this did nothing for me. Also his voice got pretty annoying at some points too, especially with his insistance on repeating words constantly like he was trying to make his own echo. I still at least got a couple saves from this as I still enjoy blues overall. 2/5.

Aika perus bluesia. Kyllähän tän nyt ainaki kerran kuunteli läpi

Ei se bluussi vaan iske. Nimikkobiisin lisäksi tässä ei ollut oikein mitään.

Ihan raikas.

Ihan kovaa bluussin räimettä. Kyllähän tämmöistä aina välillä mielellään kuuntelee.

Inoffensive Blues Backing Track #X? It's fine in a way that you forget it's there while doing other things.

This is not a bad album but it confirmed my suspicion that blues is not my thing.

I like the blues but I don’t like this. JLH never really clicked for me, and this album of collabs is no different. Santana does add a little spark but it’s not enough.

It’s good, but also sort of meh.

Thoroughly enjoyable and really, really nice Best Song: I'm in the Mood Rating: 7/10 Stars: 4

Look, there's no denying that JLH was a talented, legendary and iconic artist. I just find a whole album of 12-bar blues a tad dull. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆(5/10) Total reviewed : 412 Already owned : 93 Purchased : 21 To buy : 5 Nope : 293

This wasn't bad in the context of other blues albums. I could generally hear differences between songs and liked his voice.

Svängigt!

4 star blues

It's alright. Chill and smooth, but a bit toothless.

A legacy album with a bunch of guests made 30 years after an artists relevancy peaked just doesn't feel essential to me

MAN!!! Some of the best Blues I've heard in a long time. Lots of featured artists only lend to the greatest sound of the legend of Hooker and the best Memphis sounds.

Really solid modern update on the blues. Enjoyed every single track but didn’t love any of them.

Pretty decent blues album. Most of the songs are collaborations and I like the mix of styles. It's consistently good but doesn't really do anything particularly interesting or unique compared to the other blues albums on this list. Think Twice Before You Go was my favourite on first listen.

This might have been my introduction to the blues back in 1989 as a 15-year-old kid (except maybe for some of Eric Clapton’s major hits). I loved "The Healer" back then, and to this day, both that title track and "I'm in the Mood" with Bonnie Raitt really speak to me. Overall, it’s a great album, although the tracks toward the end felt a bit boring on a first listen.Also due to the repetive nature of the blues chords. That said, I read in reviews that those late tracks are actually his more pure, traditional blues songs, and that some critics feel this album is a bit too polished compared to his better early work. Still, I really enjoyed it, and if I ever spot this one at a record fair for a reasonable price, I’ll definitely buy it!

I've found it funny that I can find "modern" takes on blues music, but no classics. Perhaps blues musicians weren't big on albums. This one is pretty good. I like the features, the producion blends the old with the new pretty well, and JLH is still kicking strong.

I liked this, but No Substitute made me think I’d have liked a fully solo John Lee Hooker album, rather than one with an host of celebrity collaborations, even more.

Decent album - didn’t love every track, but there’s good stuff here. Favourite track: No Substitute

I was expecting to like this more than I actually did. I think it's sound is too polished for a blues album and that makes it sound unauthentic, it's lacking soul.

I was previously unfamiliar with John Lee Hooker, but enjoyed this album and plan to listen to a few more--exactly why I'm doing this project!

Like other commenters, I question why THIS particular album of Hooker's is on the list. Was it the commercial success of the album? That seems like a weird metric. There are plenty of albums on the list that were commercial flops, but made their way into the zeitgeist. I think my rating will be based on John Lee Hooker as a a musician rather than this album. This was a fine album to listen to today for its own sake, but not any of the ones we should be rating. I'm only doing it this way because I feel there's an injustice here, and this is my small way of feeling better about it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I know people like this guy, but he is just too into himself to appeal to me. Not my thang!

Very laid back blues guitar. And his voice

#1020. Good Blues depends mostly on the lyricism and the emotion from the guitars. But this album the lyrics were pretty simple and repetitive, and the guitar for the most part was also simple and repetitive. There were a few spots where it stood out, but not enough to make this album super interesting. It was fine, but not much more. 3/5: acceptable

Meh

Listening to this album is like listening to a compilation of Hoochie Coochie Man inferior rip-offs. It gets stale pretty quick.

Great

This album is ok, but it’s not a great introduction to blues in general. I don’t understand why out of all John Lee Hooker’s albums, the one picked to go in the list is his collaborative work. His solo albums are blues essentials, and this album veers heavily from his typical sound so it’s not a good introduction to him either.

The collaborators don't add much to his music, but JLH does elevate each of the collaborations imo. Dig the cover. Menacingly Deep South.

blueees

I dont like this

not horrible but not for me

Was excited for an actual blues album but disappointed with the selection. All star roster, but would’ve very much preferred early career JLH.

3.4 This list does a shit job with the blues. This JLH album is fine but there are more essential blues albums to listen to. My favorite JLH album is a live entry at Cafe au-go-go. Blues is better live or captures some sort of live aspect when recording. The exception to this would be the wank-fests at blues on whyte on a Friday night .

Cool

Call me smurf, cuz I fucking love blues. However, this is by far not my favourite blues record. Some of the tracks kinda sound like standard casio piano beats (particularly the title track). As an album it kind of sounds incongruent, probably due to the long list of contributing artists. John Lee Hookers contributions are stellar however and this has made me interested in diving more into his older catalogue.

A great overall blues record, of which i will definitely remember some songs. Starting off powerful and slowly calming down to a soft final record.

1. Decent blues songs and rhythms; it was even nicer to hear his solo work at the end, which I thought was much better than his collabs at the beginning. 2. The cover is what I see when I'm being carried off to hell 3. And that song with Carlos Santana might be one of the worst abominations of 80s music I've heard

John Lee Hooker.. what can I say. I've never listened to this album but The Healer and That's Alright are part of my playlists. Loved the Delta Blues songs, didn't love the 'porch sitting' songs, but a great album nonetheless

I can only take the blues in small doses because of it’s repetitiveness but this was alright.

Yes, John Lee Hooker. One of the greats. Great album.

Vraiment, la seule chose qui manquait au Blues pour que j'aime ça, c'est le fow constant de clichés, une production des années 80 et Santana. I guess que les gars de Black Keys écoutent encore cet album. Pourri.

C'est pas ça John Lee Hooker.

Obviously a highly accomplished blues album. Not really my cup of tea, and perhaps not one for the purists because of all the collabs.

It's certainly a decent blues record. Don't really know what else to say about it. 6/10

Cool blues

This album has been in my top 10 for years! Masterful work of music by many talented artists. John Lee Hooker shows his ability to pull in many different performers and play the Blues. He is an icon of American Blues and this album is a masterpiece, which Blues fans will listen to for years to come. Other contributors include Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, Canned Heat, Los Lobos, George Thorogood, and Charlie Musselhite. Additionally, this album won a Grammy and Hooker was 72 years old at the time of its release. This album extends beyond generations and is sure to be listened to by Blues fans for decades.

Smooth but catchy blues, a singer with a great voice and interesting instrument choices is a few songs. Not a genre I listen to a lot but one I definitely enjoy when done well like this. Its a really fun album with songs I added to some of my playlists so I can come back later.

Motherfucking santana on the first track... holyyyyyy. BONNIE RAITT IS AN ANGEL fact about this albun is every feat completely respects the other artist's musical realm. That's alright id a freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaky ass song, let me tell you guys. My dream might even be my favorite atp, so calm and personal

Meh. Not the worst tho

2.5

A renaissance album. And a justified one! John Lee shows how the boogie, how the groove is all and sets in place the imprint for every superstar blues album for a decade. Surround your star with guests and you’ll succeed. I only wish the Santana track wasn’t there. I love Carlos, but he dominates the whole thing and makes that song seem syrupy and thick against the brilliantly spare boogie of the rest of the disc.

Better than I thought, but not the best work of anyone involved.

4.5

3.5

Es un buen álbum de blues de casi los 90s y nada más. No entendí por qué está en esta lista realmente. 4/10

I ended up listening to this one twice before rating because I was so into it.

Was really excited going into this with the abundance of artists featuring on songs I knew and loved. The first song with Santana was really cool but I just felt it got less interesting as it went on. Each song was fun for a minute but after 2 to 3 minutes I just wanted each song to end. Still a really cool album at parts atleast

Having Santana on the opening track just automatically bumps this album to a 4. I don't make the rules. Otherwise, nice and smooth.

Not for me

Honestly quite enjoyed it. Sure some of It blends together but southern blues/rock stuff does it for me

It was an OK album but not John Lee Hooker’s best album so not sure why this album is highlighted on this list.

Fin historia att det här albumet tydligen gjorde att han äntligen fick tjäna lite pengar på sin musik. Mycket habil blues.

Inte min grej.

Stundstals lite sömnigt men nice ändå.

Well that was underwhelming. Coming into this album, I already had my doubts about a well known 60s blues musician trying to make music in 1989, but listening to the album, it was honestly really boring. I’ve always thought that you have to be a really good blues musician to create blues music that doesn’t make it seem like I could find it better somewhere else, and that’s not discrediting Hooker’s musicianship, which I’m sure is incredible, but it doesn’t shine through on this album. All the songs sound like the same blues shuffle that any other song on the album does, even the features from people like George Thorogood don’t improve the album, as he’s only there for one guitar solo. Bonnie Rait’s is the most effective, but even then I wouldn’t find myself listening to it again. At the very most, its sales allowed John Lee to live out the rest of his days comfortably, which is a good thing overall. However, this album did kind of just feel like if you repeated the Bad To The Bone riff for a whole album, as awesome as that song is. Not a fan, but maybe my next foray into blues will be better.

Hyvää bluesia, featti kappaleet oli hyviä. Viimeiset 3 kappaletta ei niin. Pakko kyllä sanoa että ajatukset oli aika muualla niin moni kappale meni aika ohitse. Parhaat: The Healer, Baby Lee, That's Alright

Not a huge fan of the blues

I’m just not a hardcore blues kinda guy

Legend and all, but I’m glad that phase of elder legend plays duets posed quickly

Gamli maðurinn er solid, en gátu þau ekki fundið aðra plötu með honum án þess að Santana &co séu að troða sér með. Gestirnir gera ekkert fyrir mig.

Solid blues album. I enjoyed it and added and song or two to my likes.

not my kinda music

Banger old time blues. My kind of music.

Boring

Big John Lee Hooker fan. Doesnt miss

contrary to other reviewers, I find the songs with features are better than the ones without. I know John Lee Hooker is like one of THE blues guys but I hear his voice and think drunk guy in a bar and I don't want to listen to drunk guys in bars.

This album didn't do very much for me. I wouldn't go as far as to say it was bad, I did enjoy a couple of tracks but a lot of it felt kinda same-ish and it dragged a little at times

Hooker is one of the all time blues greats but it is only the last few songs, where it is just him and his guitar, that really stood out for me. The rest, other than the title song with Carlos Santana, blended together into boring sameness. I could appreciate the contributions of Bonnie Raitt, George Thoroughgood, etc. And I'm sure it was a dream come true to work with a blues legend, but it's best when it's simple and straightforward like with the last few songs.

I appreciate that while a lot of 82 year olds are settling into nursing homes, Mr Hooker was out here experimenting with the blues genre by playing with guys like Santana, and even trying it on with Bonnie Raitt. Liked the song with Canned Heat a lot. I also liked Rockin Chair, the liveness of feeling like you're sitting there with this guy as he jams. My Dream and Substitute at the end really won me over to four stars, simple yet super beautiful songs

...

Pretty decent blues tunes. I enjoyed reading about the life & times of Mr. Hooker more than the music itself, but altogether it was an enjoyable album.

3.5

3 stars - blues no standouts but no let downs

Oof. Why a blues record by a blues master that’s all gayed up with collaborations? And the first thing out the gate is Carlos Santana’s Latin -infused noodling…which not only does not sound like blues music at all, but actually makes John Lee Hooker sound like a daggum mariachi artist. Granted, the Santana influence only lasts for one track. But isn’t that really the problem? Every track with a new collaborator takes on the flavor of the collaborator and you kind of just wind up with a watered down version of the guy you’re actually here to hear. I got time for John Lee Hooker, but this record kinda sucks as a selection for this project. 6/10 This record did get better as it went; it really gets off on the wrong foot with Santana, who I just don’t enjoy anyway. I think my point about this record still stands though: there had to be a better John Lee Hooker option out there than The Healer.

This is quintessential, solid blues I enjoyed the featured artists on this album

This was fun

2.5 not my favorite Hooker album

what

One of the original kings of the blues. I wasn't expecting an album of duets. Its sort of unfortunate they started off with santana, I can never forgive him for what he did to 'She's not there' by the Zombies. That aside it's not a bad album, but I would have preferred to hear an album just of the great man himself. Giving it a 3 despite having santana on it.

Solid but predictable Blues from the legend. Cant fault it. Won’t buy it.

A blues legend they say. My dad used to love blues and played a lot in his later life, mum used to hate it. She said it was maudlin. I'm with my mum on this. I hope I never have to listen to this old bastard again. It was a painful experience listening to old Hooker repeating the same line, playing the same chords while stamping his foot with ever more intensity as each song progressed. I was hoping for something better, but not even Santana could drag this out of the mire. Not for me, ever.

Not my genre at all really but some very fun songs

Interesting enough, but not sure it's worth another listen.

Good stuff

Liked about half, but it all kind of blended together

Sleepy. Needs more George Thorogood-style boogie for my tastes.

The first half with Santana and friends feels pro forma to me. It was not my thing. But My Dream is most definitely my thing. The last two songs do a lot of redeeming and upgrading on this one.

A nostalgic one for me; I think I owned it on cassette. And I really like this as the album that finally got one of the great blues artists making some money, after the usual story of decades of scraping by in a system rigged against him. The first few songs are the strongest, especially the title track.

I love John Lee Hooker but the 80's really did a number on this album.

I suppose he called it The Healer because white people like him? All I know is that JLH had a lot of work to do to dig himself out the deep hole created by: A) Naming the album The Healer. B) Calling the atrocious first track The Healer. C) Littering that atrocious first track with what I can only describe as "Peter Gabriel toots". Thankfully it got better, but it was nowhere near enough to counteract the conclusion that I will never spin this album again.

My father is a big fan of John Lee Hooker, and we listened to a lot of his records growing up. This preface is more to say that this two-star review has no reflection on Mr Hooker himself. If anyone deserves a “get paid” album, it’s him (or Bo Diddley). I direct the two stars more towards Santana. I feel he is to blame. The album improved with distance from his input.

Another fine album.

This album is very boring. It was a chore and three quarters.

I had no idea that there was a late-80s John Lee Hooker album; that was a surprise. His voice and guitar were amazing, even this late in his life. I liked the collaborations with Santana and Los Lobos and such well enough, but I think what I liked best on here were the songs where it was just him, or him and a harmonica, at the end of the album. Those felt very intimate, like sitting on the porch of an evening and listening to him play. Makes me want to listen to one of his albums from the 50s or early 60s.

Dont like it

This unfortunately comes out as boring to me. Not a single track stood out to me and wouldn’t really listen to this again. 5/10

An old friend.

dnl

Nothing wrong with it; it sounds good but I just don’t feel that passionate about it

I've wrestled with this record for some time, and I think it comes down to one word - legacy. By 1989, John Lee Hooker was an established blues legend, having been in the game for four decades. At some point, Hooker's manager at the time, Mike Kappus, came up with the idea of Hooker working with a variety of guest musicians to further cement his legacy. That idea blossomed into The Healer, an album which saw John Lee work with collaborators old and new to bring his electric-guitar blues to a new generation. It should be made apparent that at least half of this album consists of John Lee reworking some of his older material alongside these guest artists. It's nothing new for John Lee to re-record his earlier material and repackage them; he's done it since at least the 1950s. With that in mind, it's nice to hear him play alongside these other musicians, akin to sitting down for a jam session in the recording booth. Similarly, these guests were happy to oblige in said playing along, whether it's the low-key chemistry with Bonnie Raitt and her slide-guitar licks on "In the Mood", Canned Heat's busy shuffle and harmonica vibing on "Cuttin' Out", or Los Lobos' Tex-Mex flair alongside David Hidalgo's accordion embellishments on "Think Twice Before You Go". I especially dug the more intimate collaborations in the middle with long-time admirer George Thorogood on "Sally Mae" and long-time friend Charlie Musselwhite on "That's Alright". Probably the only guest collaboration I wasn't as into was with Carlos Santana and his backing band for the opening title track, between the dated keyboards and the Latin arrangement sounding far removed from John Lee Hooker's wheelhouse. But then, we have the final three songs. "Rockin' Chair" saw John Lee back to basics, with just him and his guitar as he stomped his foot. It's idiosyncratic, with him adjusting tempo to fit what each song needed, and it is raw and earnest to a fault. I definitely got a sense of that old magic creeping back in for him. That slow-burning energy continued into "My Dream" and "No Substitute" as the subtle backing band kept the boat steady, all while John Lee sang with such a soft delivery that drew me in. I don't consider The Healer to be a perfect record, and that's okay because I don't think John Lee Hooker had that in mind. He was 73 years old when this album came out; for him, it was a fun session with friends old and new that just happened to become a late-career success. From all accounts, he seemed grateful for the recognition. John Lee would continue to put out collaboration albums until his passing in 2001. His legacy was set, and I can respect that.

2/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/john-lee-hooker/the-healer/ Just so dull. Even with all the guest artists, every song sounds similar. I guess that might be a blues thing, but I really can't care for it.

Hey, this album. I've seen it while flicking through my copy of the book - the cover stands out to me. Honestly, I like this album cover. The silhouette looks pretty neat. If I'm not mistaken this is a jazz album, though the 1989 release window is a little suspect. I'll hedge my bets on a jazz fusion release. Here goes. Nope, blues. I have no clue why I had jazz on my mind, though my jazz fusion guess was a valiant attempt. This was fine. I don't care much for blues, though I was content with letting this one blow over me. The runtime is about perfect for this style of music, though it does kind of dick about during the second half thanks to some unremarkable, empty-sounding tracks. Anyways, this album is thoroughly unambitious but executes itself well. The subdued, rocking style of the music is at just the right tempo to be engaging and there's a commendable level of depth to the instrumentation as well. Given that most of the blues releases on this list are from the 50s and 60s, I appreciated the contemporary production and absence of blown-out vocals/instrumentals. The guitarwork is the obvious highlight of this album. There's a decent level of variety in the styles which feature on here, with the moments where the guitars adopt a harmonica-esque sound being the most interesting. The confident, funky guitars on the title track were also pretty decent. Overall, I didn't mind kicking back to this one. Book time. Hooker was apparently a key figure in blues and R&B music from the 40s through to the 60s, though his career faltered throughout the 70s and 80s, with this album being his comeback. The album name is in reference to the healing quality of blues. Won a Grammy and carried Hooker's career through to his death in 2001. Features a few guests, which the book attributes to part of its success. The album is "...built upon some truly inspired guitar work". Wikipedia says that this album was generally well-received by critics and only charted in Australia of all places, where it peaked at No. 17 and was the 78th best-selling album of 1990 on the year-end charts. This album was a bit of a strange choice. I don't know why they selected a late career return to form over Hooker's earlier releases, assuming he really is a key player in blues/R&B music. Maybe Hooker was more of a singles act in his early career than an artist with acclaimed and influential albums. Funnily enough, the albums following this release also only appear to have charted in Australia, with 1995's "Chill Out" notably peaking at No. 8 on the Aussie charts. The rest of his discography doesn't appear to have charted anywhere save for "Never Get Out of These Blues Alive", which peaked at No. 130 on US jazz charts. This does appear to be Hooker's most acclaimed and notable release, so I guess I can't fault this album being on here. I cosign this inclusion.

Very bluesy, although a lot of songs where really not my thing too much bluesy fingerpicking stuff, I could appreciate some softer songs, and Santana carries this on his own from a 2 to a 3. 1. The Healer - feat. Carlos Santana & The Santana Band 2. My Dream 3. No Substitute

I think this is a fantastic blues album. It's a bit more modern than some of the purest of blues, but I think that broadens its appeal.

It's okay. Good stuff all the way through, but I didn't like the Santana track with it's elevator type 80s sound. 3/5.

Some solid blues soundtracked a 5knrun thoroughly enjoyed it

For the scale of John Lee Hookers prolific career I was expecting to have my mind blown by this album. Two songs in I was desperately ready for it to be over. This is just the most boring same old blues you've heard a billion times before. I generally can see why albums have made the list but this one escapes me. Obviously no disrespect to Mr Hooker but if this is the best of his output I will have to start actively avoiding other recordings from him. 1 star not because it's bad but because it's just the most frightfully boring thing I've ever listened to.

Not a bad blues album. Kinda 3-4 scale.

Fine

Pretty nice blues album. Not terribly special but not bad.

I really like this one! Super bluesy and soulful. Great way to start my work day.

Classic blues sounds with added guests to change the focus. Saw him live opening for Los Lobos

It's okay I suppose

Review - a blues legends album from the early '90s? Not so good. Score - 4/10 Need to listen? NO

Definitely more listenable than most of the blues I’ve listened to. No more than a 3 though.

Enjoyed this a lot, didnt care for the track with Bonnie Raitt.

All older respected musicians need an album like this where they showcase younger artists they like and want to pass the torch down to. Some really good songs but maybe too mellow for my blues taste. Cant really hate on it as its a wonderful album full of good songs a living tribute to the artists and his legacy

I found this to be rather boring. Repetitive. Sleepy. There has to be a better representation of the blues.

It's tempting to refer to this as *Let's Save John Lee Hooker's House* (which it did, apparently) - a star-filled attempt to give an old-school artist a deserved hit or two. In that sense this is basically the same formula that Santana's *Supernatural* would follow a decade later: classic compositions decorated with a revolving cast of younger, hipper guest artists (Santana himself among them). And there's nothing wrong with that, obviously - Hooker is still talented as a singer and player, and he absolutely deserved better than the music industry had given him up the point when he made this album (cut to shot of Page and Plant, looking uncomfortable). More broadly, I respect this for the same reasons why I always rolled my eyes when my friends in Intro to Music Theory would complain about having to listen to Gregorian chant - because I recognize that a proper sense of history is a critical building block of modern musical understanding. But I don't really listen to Gregorian chant these days either, and I think it's unlikely I'll come back to this.

This is a bit too House of Blues for me

어우 듣기좋아

Ik ben totaal geen Blues fan, maar deze plaat kan ik waarderen. Goeie ritmes, de instrumenten spelen gemeleerd op elkaar in, waardoor er echt een harmonieuze sound ontstaat. Het enige nare is en blijft de zang. Bij veel blues en countrymuziek zingen de mensen nogal op een melancholische en zeurende manier… Dat telt mij gewoon niet.

2,5 Highlights: The Healer, I'm In The Mood

Great opener in The Healer. Though I sincerely hope the album contains tracks that are not five-minute, two-chord jam sessions. But it's good stuff. A nice smooth synth-keyboard part accompanies improvisational singing. And the two selected chords are the most forgivable possible (i and IV). Pink Floyd would be proud. Not a fan of Santana's contribution, even though the guy by himself (or with his band) can be brilliant. I'm not in the mood for I'm In The Mood. Don't get me wrong, it's a solid track – but it comes across as the second consecutive jam track in an album shaping up to be dull in virtue of said tracks. At least we have a different chord progression this time, in the form of blues (though the very next song, Baby Lee, also uses the 12-bar blues progression). Not a huge fan of Bonnie Raitt's contribution to vocals – reminds me of the mess that is Billy Joel's Code of Silence (feat. Cyndi Lauper). Baby Lee is a reasonable length and pulls off the blues a little better, featuring a more convincing hook in the bassline. I'm pretty hesitant about the brash country honk that is Cuttin' Out. That harmonica is played with so much Midwestern gusto that it gets just a little grating. Still a decent song, though. Sally Mae... devoid of all musicality. What is this, an folk inebriation convention? George Thorogood is thoro and good in some contexts, but not this one. Musselwhite's harmonica in That's Alright meshes a bit weirdly with the rest of the performance, cluttering the mix whenever it and the guitar play at the same time. Then we get to Rockin' Chair. Man... Rockin' Chair. What is there to say? It kills any momentum the album might've gathered prior to that point. Kind of impressive, honestly. Not the creation of an empty, thin-textured blues track with a limp and arrhytmic acoustic guitar part. That's pretty straightforward. But I admire Hooker's (presumed) utter confidence that placing this track on the album, rather than as a bonus track, was even close to a good idea. Then My Dream, despite not being that remarkable, becomes a beautiful ray of sunshine in comparison. 3/5 Key tracks: The Healer, Baby Lee

Sometimes I think some of the albums on this list are just "most commercially successful albums from very important artists". This isn't JLH's best but it is the most accessible

Like every album I've listened to on this list I've had it on in the background whilst working. It was very easy listening. Although I enjoy Blues music, I didn't get the impression this was a 'standout' album of that genre. Still, nothing wrong with it at all. I think this is a bog-standard 3 stars for me.

This seems like an odd choice for an album from one of the legends of blues. I can't imagine there is another from him on this list, and an album full of collaborations just seems like it wouldn't really be representative of him as an artist. Although I suppose the list is albums to hear before you die, not albums that best represent the work of said artist to hear before you die. It's a good album, but I feel like it's one that a lot of people would get bored with. Traditional blues like this is, sort of by definition, pretty much all the same. I mean I get that there are different phrasings, chord progressions, turnarounds, etc. but because the overall structure of the music it is a lot more constricted than a lot of other genres it tends to all blend together after a while. Anyway, I feel like this album was good but if a John Lee Hooker album was going to make the list, this isn't what I would have picked. My favorites from this album were the songs without a guest artist. 3/5

Found the electric blues stuff not as intriguing as the quieter moments. 2.5 but I was more bored than intrigued so 2 it is.

Old-school blues. Anything bluesy I usually like, and this is no exception. At times it is a bit slow and ponderous, but some great guitar solos and smooth vocals. I’m going low 4.

It was alright a low 3

This was a great listen.

weird

Ooh this one looks interesting! Cameos by Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, and Los Lobos, among others? Hell yeah! The execution was..... not as nice. The Healer would be a 5 for Sanatana, but Hooker's singing is repetitive and just meh. I'm In The Mood has a nice blues sound, and Bonnie's a gem, but again Hooker drops it. Pretty much the rest of the album follows the same pattern. Best song: The Healer

Loved it

Solid Blues album, enjoyed it, short and sweet

Great example of a 4-star album here. I respect the hell out of John Lee Hooker and really like blues as a genre, but this isn't my favorite era of American blues. I'm more partial to the simpler, toned down aspects and less so the very electronic, heavily produced stuff. Still enjoyed this album a lot though, just probably not one I'm putting on again.

Really enjoyed this. Don't know much else to say but it made for a great morning commute

Great slide playing. Eclectic set. Beautiful guest performances by people that you may have heard of. Superb blues playing.

5/19/26. Good opening track, but then deep into blues without experimenting with anything new, especially at its time of release. I have my own bias with blues since I find it predictable.

This is John Lee Hooker plus a bunch of fantastic musicians. Not that it matters but in one video the "sexy" bit was so completely hot and remained rated G was completely amazing. This is definitely worth a "forget about it" because ... literally forget about it, this is music FROM the gods to our ears and I have nothing worthy to say!

First song is a banger. The rest is straight BLUES.

Certainly not the best by John Lee Hooker but the song with Bonnie Raitt was pretty cool and the story behind the album was heartwarming.

never listened to blues. Tbh it was better than I expected. Still though not quite my tune

The healer was Len Houmous’ nickname for his 23rd wife 2.2 3/10 Baby Lee

The guitar hooks can’t be beaten, but I question the amount of collabs. It was fine, but I’ll listen to the more vintage JLH albums.

This was fun. Enjoy the raspiness and feel of the music. Will be back.

Boom, boom, boom, boom. John Lee Hooker was one of the last great bluesmen to walk the earth. I think maybe only Buddy Guy is left who has that connection to the old-time bluesmen from the south. Even though Hooker was more known for living in Detroit. This album was released in 1989, and Hooker was 77. He would go on to live another 12 years. As was the case around this time, the old legends were releasing albums with help from the youngsters of the day. You know, youngsters like Bonnie Raitt, Robot Cray, and Canned Heat, to name a few. Younger by about 15 years. Hooker, like a lot of poor southern folks, both black and white, moved to Detroit to work in the steel mills and auto industry. Hooker was working as a janitor in a steel mill when his recording career began, and he ended up being one of the greatest bluesmen to ever live. I’ve heard a ton of Hooker songs, but I’ve not heard any from this album. It’s got 10 tracks and runs 41 minutes. I like it. Let’s get into it. Track 1 is The Healer featuring Carlos Santana and the Santana band. The song starts out with some cool, dark-sounding guitar doodlings, but then it falls quickly into a Santana-type beat with a flute and some bongos. I think I’d rather hear the blues. Carlos Santana is now doing his thing, playing his usual style of guitar. I must say, I got an ass full of Santana when he did those albums with different singers. They were all over the radio and MTV. I got burned out. Oooh, Hooker comes in, starts singing, and it totally changes the vibe. Wow, this music sounds great with Hooker’s voice. He’s singing the blues, but the music isn’t really sad. I mean, it makes you think of lying on a beach in the tropics, drinking a mai-tai with a tiny umbrella in it. The song is as bluesy as it can be on a tropical beach getaway with your soul mate. Track 2 is I’m in the Mood with Raitt. I recently listened to Raitt’s Nick of Time and loved it. Though she’s about as bluesy as Eric Clapton was in 1989. Actually, she might have been bluesier. The song starts out with what I assume is Hooker playing guitar. Riatt is playing her slide guitar, which she does very well. This is a slowed-down blues stomp. It has that familiar groove, but Riatt’s slide guitar makes it unique. Riatt is singing on this track with Hooker. Thinking back, I’m not sure Hooker was playing guitar on track 1. He might have been. Damn, Riatt played a great solo with the slide. “I’m in the mood for love. Have mercy on me, on me, on me.” Track 3 is Baby Lee with Robert Cray, and this kind of reminds me of a Stevie Ray Vaughn type song. The groove is another familiar blues groove, this one more of a dancing tune, though it seems a bit slower than normal. When I say a familiar blues groove, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, considering Hooker is a legend and one of those guys who could reach back into the 1800s. He was born to a sharecropper, Baptist minister father in the early 1910s in the South. He was literally born in the home of the Delta Blues. So, if Hooker wants to play familiar blues grooves, by God, he can because he might have been around for their creation. But, I digress. I never really got into Cray. He seemed a bit boring to me, though I know he can play the guitar and is a blues legend himself. Cray plays a simple, but brilliant solo on this song. Just perfect. I’m really starting to get into this album. It could be the Monster Energy, though. Track 4 is Cuttin’ Out with Canned Heat. Who knew Canned Heat was still around in 1989? The band’s two founders, including the frontman, Bob Hite, died before 1981. Okay, we have our first harmonica so far on this album. Again, the main groove is one you’ve heard before, but mixed with Hooker’s voice and singing style, it’s a banger. It just makes you want to jump up and boogie. In my mind’s eye, I’m picturing a packed juke joint in the 1940s with sweat dripping from every pore. Great harmonica solo in the middle, and the lead guitarist is just cutting up the background. I assume it’s a Canned Heat guy, though I think Hooker is also playing on this song, just not the lead. I’m not sure Hooker was exactly a lead guitarist, so to speak. I think most bluesmen in those days just played guitar because they needed something to accompany them, and it was a hell of a lot easier to pack around an acoustic guitar than a piano. Track 5 is Think Twice Before You Go with Los Lobos. This ought to be good. Yes, we have our first accordion on the album. That’s the only thing adding a Latin flair to the otherwise straight blues song. It has the same groove as Hooker’s classic Boom Boom. Los Lobos is really keeping things tight. Hooker sounds really good on this track. He seems fired up. The guitar solos are fire on this track. I think this is my favorite song thus far. Track 6 is Sally Mae with George Thorogood. Throgood has always said Hooker was one of, if not the biggest, influences for him. I’ve always loved Thorogood. He’s like AC/DC, you always know what you’re going to get, just balls-to-the-wall blues rock. I also think he’s a very underrated guitarist. Though much like AC/DC, once you get past his prime, it's hit or miss on new material. Now this is, again, a familiar blues groove, but it’s the first time on the album. It’s a perfect one for Thorogood. It reminds me of the beginning rap for One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer. I love that song. I know it’s long, but Thorogood strangles his guitar into submission on that cut. Hooker is singing, and he sounds like he’s got more bass than usual in his voice. Thorogood is, like Raitt, playing a slide guitar, but he’s playing it in his style. I think Hooker is playing guitar as well. I’d imagine Thorogood would’ve killed his firstborn to trade solos with Hooker. This is a foot-stomper. Damn, it’s over. Just over three minutes long? I could have listened to that for another 10 minutes. Track 7 is That’s All Right with Charles Musselwhite, who I’m shocked to find out is white. Hmmm, he’s a harmonica player and band leader. My good friend Wikipedia says he helped revive the blues in Chicago in the 60s. Hooker is playing guitar on this song, and it's a slow burner with Musselwhite blowing on the blues harp. Again, it’s a recognizable blues groove. Hooker’s singing is so strong and clear on this track. Musselwhite is playing his arse off. Track 8 is Rockin’ Chair and I assume this is just Hooker and his guitar. This is the uncut, raw blues. You can hear Hooker tapping his foot as they record him. As I said, Hooker isn’t a guitar hero, but he plays with passion and soul. His singing is the same way, but he also has an unmistakable voice. Track 9 is My Dream and it’s Hooker and his guitar, with bass and drums. The first thing that hits you is his voice. He’s singing, well, he’s singing. It’s beautiful. It’s not the confident bluesman that's singing on most of the songs on this album. It’s a vulnerable man missing his woman singing. The solo too is perfect in its simplicity. This is my favorite song on the album for sure. I think this could have been a hit. Just a lovely little love song. Track 10 is No Substitute and this is another one that sounds like it’s just Hooker and his guitar singing about love. I think it’s him in a room, and he’s just playing. He started the track out by saying, I assume, to the producer, “We gonna try this one, okay?” Again, you can hear him tapping his foot. And out of the blue, almost shockingly so, it ends. What great way to close a fine album of blues. Hooker won his only Grammy with In the Mood for Best Traditional Blues Performance. The album peaked at number 62 on the Billboard chart, which was the highest of any of his records. The album did so well, it brought him the recognition he deserved, and the royalty checks allowed him to live the last 12 years of his life in comfort. Have I heard better blues albums? Probably. But I think this is as close as you can get to being in the same room with a legend among men in the blues world. I really liked this album, and I’d recommend you listen to it.

Helped me put a lot of stuff in context. I'm interested in listening to more of his heavy-hitting stuff.

This was fine but I’m not really sure why it’s on the list. I guess because JLH got his groove back by enlisting a bunch of new school blues musicians. And frankly Bonnie Raitt smokes this collab.

best lekker

Very good album! "The Healer" was indeed amazing.

What a weird album to showcase. The cameos are hit and miss but the album shines at the end.

🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑 (rounded up because it isn't, like, evil) I'm not gonna remember it exactly, but there's a Brian Eno quote I often think about that says, essentially, that the qualities of songs we're nostalgic for, or that we feel the strongest connection to, are when the music is straining against the technology of the time. Grainy record static, compressed MP3s, etc—these things come to define a sound because (and this is my extrapolation) the feeling is struggling to reach through the imperfect materiality of the medium. After seeing some mediocre reviews, I was ready to go to bat for this album—one which I normally might've skipped. What a surprise that I come to find my opinion is actually significantly lower than global consensus, which sucks because John Lee Hooker is legendary and because this is such a kickass album cover. That said, this music isn't really John Lee Hooker, is it? This is a collaboration album, and by my estimation, there are way too many cooks in the kitchen, and also, most of them aren't even cooks and they're just cracking eggs because they've seen cooks do that before. The majority of this album is certified middle-aged barfly band material, and I'm fairly certain it's because this blues ain't straining. Much as it must have been futuristic for Hooker, the production is painfully eighties, and clean electric guitar and tepid percussion belong nowhere near the blues—one might even argue electricity belongs nowhere near the blues, but I'd say it just doesn't work without distortion. It isn't my interpretation of Eno's quote that music isn't worthwhile if it's not innovating, nor do I even feel Hooker isn't innovating on The Healer—for him, I bet that's exactly what these collaborations were for. However, here's where something went wrong: either this chance to collaborate with a blues legend meant collaborators toned *down* their younger innovative urges, or, on the other end of the spectrum, they perceived the cleanliness of their era's production as an improvement on the dirtiness of blues. I'm not sure which went wrong, exactly, but this feels like a fundamental misunderstanding of the genre they're working with. Even his three solo tracks that close this album seem to misunderstand this, if I can go so far as to say John Lee Hooker momentarily misunderstood the blues (and secure my cell in Hell)—though they're much closer to the feeling than any of that Santana crap, they lose some of their power in such a relaxed, soft, sonic setting. The blues is rugged, mournful, feral—it can't be caged, but apparently, it can be domesticated. 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities) | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing

Start heel sterk maar daarna wordt het rap heel saai

Really solid album, lot of cool artists featured, and the rest is classic John Lee hooker blues. Super easy to listen to, great walking music.

Creepy cover. Enjoyable inoffensive blues

A great artist, a bit last his prime.

Hm. I was excited to see that we got A John Lee Hooker album, but I'm not sure how I feel about a late career collaboration album as the sole choice; at times it feels a bit like the posthumous Townes Van Zandt album "A Far Cry From Dead" where the producers/label just shoehorned modern session band music onto demo recordings. But unlike that album, this has John Lee Hooker fully participating, and with great choices for guest artists (especially Bonnie Raitt, but Santana is in great form too, and fun to get Los Lobos too), plus I really liked finding out that the album's commercial success gave him a lot of financial security for the remainder of his life. I don't know Hooker's music well enough to know if this is really his best album, but I'm glad he got included, friends and all.

laid back blues with a sort of 80s sound to the production. I liked the pairing of Hooker with various "guests" but the overall sound never grabbed my attention as much as I'd hoped it would.

ok. john lee hooker from the 80s. the production is not my taste. very clean, very 80s. not very apt for the blues in my opinion. but surely this isn't the only album from the blues legend we have on this list, right? right?? there's at least another album from his prime, right??? oh no

bueno

The great John Lee Hooker represented by a compilation album from 19-fucking-89? This is an egregious miss. I love the man and the music, but this is a travesty. Still a few good tracks here though.

An all around nice listen, with a few standouts. I prefer John Lee Hooker's classic stuff than the collaborations on this album, but there's nothing wrong with them either.

Rock blues

Classic blues vibe

Pa onako, lijep album, ali mi je mrvicu underwhelming većinom bio. Nakon nekog vremena slušanja istog, fali mi dinamike. 3/5, 5/10

Pretty nice background music and sounds much older than it is but the more it went on the more boring it got.

great album.

I thought this was nice but I didn't really feel drawn to paying attention to it.

Couple of good tunes, interesting collaborators. Kinda boring.

Really nice blues album

Feels more like a novelty record, with all the features, but John Lee deserves to be on this list.

++: The Healer, No Substitute +: I'm in the Mood, Baby Lee, Cuttin' Out, Think Twice Before You Go, My Dream +-: Sally Mae, That's Alright, Rockin' Chair 5,1/10

Of all the albums to pick to represent John Lee Hooker, this is most definitely NOT the one!. Such a shame, as it's his only album on the list. Awesome guitarist, wasted on a collaboration album :-(

I agree with Ian on this one! Amazing musician, but sadly not his best work added to this list! I'm off to listen to Boom Boom.

Solid. Favorite song: In the Mood For Love with Bonnie Raitt

This was a decent blues album. There were some really good grooves here and there, but overall it was kinda middling to me.

The only thing worse than waking up to a jazz album is waking up to a blues album.

Not a particularly captivating listen; I think I don't care for modern blues rock that much. From the reviews, it sounds like this isn’t the best John Lee Hooker album out there. But the closer "No Substitute" was a raw, beautiful, stripped-down gem.

Peasant enough at parts, but none of it really stuck with me.

1. healer - 1 2. mood - 2 3. baby - 2 4. cutting - 1 5. think - 1 6. zally - 2 7. alright - 1 8. chair - 2 9. dream - 1 10. zubztitute - 1

Ok

The Healer - 4/5 I'm in the Mood - 4/5 Baby Lee - 3/5 Cuttin' Out - 3/5 Think Twice Before You Go - 2/5 Sally Mae - 3/5 That's Alright - 3/5 Rockin' Chair - 1/5 My Dream - 2/5 No Substitute - 1/5 Average score: 2.6/5 ⭐️⭐️ i wanted to like this more than i did. i'm no blues enthusiast by any means, but i'm almost certain if it weren't for the muddy-sounding production, this would have been much more enjoyable. the featured artists like Bonnie Raitt helped some, but that only did so much maybe i ought to listen to JLH's earlier work sometime. i can tell he's a great artist but the production quality didn't do him any favors here

Belle and Sebastian were right. The blues are still blue.

I could smell this smelly pile of poo from miles away. No thanks.

music your dad listened to while he worked in the garage in the summer when you were a little kid

Im gonna be honest, I didn't listen to the whole album because blues is honestly a little boring for me, but I do really appreciate the craftsmanship put into this album and into the genre itself. apparently this guy is one of the best so I'm glad I got to listen to this.

A surprising one. Didnt expect to like a late career blues album such as this one.

Not a huge blues guy at the best of times and this album did nothing to change that. Pretty boring for the most part, and I can't help but feel like they should have picked an album from his glory days rather than one from 1989.

A solid '..and friend's' album from the great man.

The opening (and title) track having Carlos Santana on guitar is a great way to kick things off. Sadly I think aside from the coolness of the blues the album doesn't do much for me. I'll still give it a 4 for being a cool blues album from the last 40 years, but it's not got that greatness to it.

In some ways, this seems like a bit of a cash-in - a past his prime artist is paired with more famous youngsters, with some good, but not outstanding tracks. On the other hand, it's John Lee Frikkin' Hooker. Who better? And if the album finally gave him some cash to ease his later life, then ... Good!

Blues.

Tof album, mooie samenwerkingen. Mis wat grote hits, maar verder heel solide.

6/10

Great Album

I guess im sucker for blues

Nice, but nothing groundbreaking

The fact that this is the only John Lee Hooker album on the list is insane

It's a nice little album. Probably this one of my first experiences with straight blues and not a derivative - like blues rock. John Lee Hooker's voice is quite wobbly and sounds unstable, not too sure how I feel about it as I'm not certain if he is deliberately doing it or not. The nocturnal moody feel is pretty sweet. This one was fine, nothing too exciting. Highlight Song/s: "I'm in the Mood"

3.0 - Ok

Du blues, pas trop mon truc

Didn’t do it for me

Mmmm yes of course.... Ahhh

7/10 Great blues album. Like many of the others, it’s really really good music when I’m in the mood for blues. But that’s not very often.

Loveee second song is brilliant

Very fun bluesy and jazzy vibes

Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: The Healer, Cuttin' Out A second blues album in as many days. This felt entirely more toned down than Muddy Waters, almost like a B-side arrangement of songs. The Carlos Santana feat was quite nice, and I am honestly surprised I haven't had at least one Carlos Santana album yet. I must admit, compared the other blues albums I've heard, I wasn't super impressed. It was a completely fine album, but almost none of the songs really popped out for me. It was adequate background music for biking to and from work. Maybe I just feel this way because I didn't get a chance to reset from the Muddy Waters album the previous day. In any event, no complaints from me about this.

I very much like the blues, but there's definitely some blues I prefer to this.

I was in a bad mood today and it didn't bring me out of it lol

I know this isn’t a Carlos Santana album but his guitar work never ceases to amaze me. I enjoyed the collaborations on this album.

hard to listen to fr

Very bluesy and country, good slow music probably 4.

Masterful blues by a master of the craft. 4/5

Lovely album! I’m twirling in my room like a ’90s girl in my little step up dance shoes, caught somewhere between nostalgia and motion. The good vibes flow effortlessly, carried by a melodic rhythm that feels both grounding and liberating. I don’t usually listen to this kind of music, but there’s something about it that pulls me in. If I had lived back then, I think I would’ve been the kind of person to lose myself at his concerts.

This wasn’t anything remarkable. It wasn’t terrible though either.

First song didn't fit the rest, but the rest was just a bit too casual for me.

Quite like the very paired back blues, that first track's keyboard and toms were borderline criminal I think without that it would have been a 3 but with it 2.

Doesn’t have same impact as his first album

A poor album made all the poorer by guest artists.

A nauseating, torturous listen for me, the best bits being the brief pauses between songs, or at least the moments before John Lee’s warbling voice meets the never ending, looping chord progressions. It perfectly encapsulates all my least favourite things about blues music. They sound like the unpaid band at the school fete.

Low 3 for me, really enjoyed some of it but much of it i found a little samey, not bad though!

I own this one. It starts strong, but about half way thru, I stop caring. Just a bit repetitive.

最初の曲はこういうブルースもあるのかと感心したけどそのあとはずっと凪

Interesante country jazz

The blues isn't one of my go-to genres, I don't have any favorite artists or albums. This was good though, I really enjoyed how you could hear 'the dude behind the guitar' in the way he played. My Dream was an especially nice tune. Good stuff.

This album, while showing how JLH bridges the gap between different genres, is not completely representative of the blues delivery of JLH. The music isn't bad, but the collaborations morph into "This band covering JLH with JLH performing with them". I would have never known this album existed without the list, and I would have been fine with that. JLH works better in **House of the Blues**. My Rating: 4/5

I know the title track of this album well after my dad introduced me to the album, and I absolutely love it - but bugger me, the rest of this album was dull as hell.

I have a soft spot in my heart for the Blues. My dad was a huge blues guy, so I've listened to a lot of blues in my life, and now that my dad is gone I find some peace in listening to it. Reminds me of him. Did I almost ugly cry during the first song? Yes, yes I did. Any music that can make me emotional is great music to me.

There’s like a subgenre of Blues that just isn’t for me. This is that subgenre.

Wonderful.

First listen

Very good. I'm no blues expert at all, but I really enjoyed this one. It's actually interesting that the songs I enjoyed the most are, by far, the three last songs (with no special collaborators). I was not expecting to like this one as much as I did.

Good concept, okay execution. Bonnie Raitt and G Thorogood songs are standouts.

Siinä oli bluesia ja siinä oli paikoin Santanaa

It's still Hooker. But it doesn't need most of the production and ensemble.

I would say an inessential JLH album. A bluesman who surely doesn't need accompaniment to sound great.

I dislike collaborations like this

2.5

the blues 🎶💙

Actually a vibe. Love how each guitar player brings their own blues vibe.

The first song is really nice. The atmosphere and the vocals created quite a nice vibe. The rest of the songs are underwhelming, though. They’re just way too quiet and repetitive. Not terrible but passable at best. 5/10

The blues are fantastic in person in an intimate venue. On record it’s fine.

Gewoon de studio in duiken, en retegoeie bluesmuziek spelen, zo moeilijk is het allemaal niet. Tenminste niet als je John Lee Hooker bent en bovendien een stel vrienden hebt uitgenodigd. Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt? Kom maar door! En als muziek niet bedoeld is om onbezorgd speelplezier te hebben, waar is het dan wel goed voor? Hoe vaker ik dit album hoor, hoe meer lol ik er in krijg.

De titeltrack springt er met kop en schouders bovenuit. Vooral door de gitaar. De rest van het album is zeer toegankelijke vrij standaard blues. Niets mis mee. Het vertegenwoordigt het genre prima. Al is het wat raar om blues te laten vertegenwoordigen door een album uit 89. 3,5 ster

John Lee Hooker, uit 1989. Dat zegt me even niks. Blijkbaar een verzameling samenwerkingen met andere bekende artiesten uit die tijd. En als ik verder lees, blijkt de beste man hier al een jaar of 70 te zijn. Oh verrek, the Healer is toch verrekte bekend haha. Zure broeder Eric haalt aan dat hij het gek vindt, dat voor een 'recent' bluesalbum gekozen is. Maar ik vind dat eigenlijk helemaal niet zo gek. Blues past toch juist bij oude gasten van een jaar of 70, zoals John Lee Hooker hier was, en niet bij gastjes van 21, die nog weinig van het leven weten? Bovendien was het einde van de 80s bij uitstek een periode waar de blues een revival doormaakte. Kijk maar naar witte artiesten als Gary Moore, die met I still got the blues een wereldhit scoorde; kijk naar U2, die samen met BB King een hit scoorde met When Love comes to Town op hun album Rattle & Hum. En in die periode past dit album dus perfect. De oude blues wordt van een (voor die tijd) modern jasje voorzien, wat je vooral hoort in het bekende titelnummer "the Healer", wat overduidelijk 80s vibes heeft. Ik kan dit prima waarderen moet ik zeggen. 4 sterretjes!

the blues are a total nothing burger for me. Just never got into them. This album would have to do a lot to get above a 3 and it doesn't really do enough. The album get's better for the last couple tracks when he stops doing duets and focuses on just himself "My Dream" being the stand out track. I used to have a roommate in university who played the blues on guitar and there was a huge gap between his ability and the blues-y face contortions he'd make while he played.... that has nothing to do with anything though, album is a 3.

7/10

If you like the blues, this collaborative effort is about as good as it gets. The collection of musicians is fabulous.

Mr. Hooker might be talented but this music sounds stale, regardless of how much 1989-era studio secret sauce they tried to put on it.

Decent, but it would be better as a solo album than the stream of celebrity cameos

Of all the John Lee Hooker albums to choose from, picking this one for the 1001 list is diabolical. It’s still some good blues but it’s like saying your favorite cut of beef is tongue.

It was decent

The Healer was John Lee Hooker's best selling album of his life, as he recorded and released this at the ripe age of 73. One of the best to boogie and to play electric blues with gusto and disregard for time signatures. My family was lucky to be neighbors with Mr Hooker when he got big for the second time in his career. I think Mr Lucky is a better later-era John Lee Hooker record that captures his energy better than The Healer, but happy to see John Lee Hooker on this list more than being excluded. Eat your musical vegetables and listen to the blues. It's where the heart comes from.

Heard Before? Nope. And I quickly realized why. Notes: - There is absolutely nothing wrong with John Lee Hooker, or even his performances on this album. - Everyone else involved, especially the producer, seems dead set on opposing the vicious minimalism that gives him his powerful aura. - Why these collaborators? With the possible exception of Canned Heat, they all sound like they've never heard him before, never mind shared a studio. - The treatments on the vocals are especially egregious. - The sequencing is atrocious, although rewarding for masochists who can make it all the way to the best track at the end. Verdict: Even the Blues Brothers movie knew what to do with John Lee: He is shown off by himself, hiding in plain sight, mumbling and stunting away on the guitar, like an ascetic prophet. This album is just sad. Listen Again? I'm already trying to forget it.

This was a great blues album! Likes the collabs!

Sorry John, I wanted to like this, but it's a bit too basic blues for my tastes. It's not bad, by any means, but I wouldn't choose to slap this on of an evening.

Een legendarische 'bluesman' die een album uit brengt eind jaren 80, recipe for disaster. Tenminste, het haalt vaak dat ene element weg waar het genre zo op teert: authenticiteit. De organische sound, van de man, zijn problemen en zijn gitaar in een setting ver van de moderne studio, is toch wel de charme van de blues. Dit album begint precies zoals je verwacht: John Lee Hooker haalt een aantal contemporary artiesten van stal om zijn catalogus te polijsten voor het 'grote' publiek. Het resultaat is vaak een zielloos omhulsel van wat ooit een blues song was. Maar ik moet toch zeggen dat hij dat stigma gaandeweg het album van zich afschudt, en dat de blues die door zijn aderen stroomt toch boven komt drijven. Het was niet tegen te houden, hoe erg het productieteam het ook probeerde. Misschien is dat pure overblijfsel ook wel de reden waarom dit album uiteindelijk aansloeg zoals hij deed, bij het volk. Die mix van moderniteit en fundamentalisme. Niet helemaal wat ik zoek in de blues, maar beter dan verwacht, helemaal na een begin waar je toch wel argwanend naar luistert. En mooi dat hij z'n pensioen op deze manier verzekerde zonder z'n ziel hélemaal te verkopen. 6/10 Highlights: Cuttin' Out My Dream

Wat mij betreft niet echt geslaagd. De blues klinkt beroofd van de echte ziel en passie die er wel bij hoort Het is traag en wat gelikt geproduceerd (80's...) Ja, de man heeft blues maar klinkt ook wat uitgeblu(e)st. 6/10 Highlights Sally Mae

Didn’t really like it. Feels a bit sanitized and artificial.

Very simple but really good vibe. I love the last 2 songs

- From what I hear, this isn't his best work - Not a blues expert, but I enjoyed listening to it - Liked 'The Healer'

This is a serviceable album, but it's far from essential. For only one John Lee Hooker album to appear on this list, this isn't even Hook's best rock-and-roll crossover (that would be "Hooker N Heat"). For so few blues albums to be on this list, it's too bad the author chose to select this album. The album feels uninspired despite the quality musicians that Hooker is paired with. It feels more like a cash grab (or, more kindly, provides some financial security to Hooker in the later years of his life).

Not his best stuff: too many "featuring" with too little collaboration. It felt like the musicians weren't in the same studio, just laying down tracks separately. Oh well. A missed opportunity

Blues = easy listening.

Good stuff...need to listen to more blues.

Great blues album, and I did not mind all the collaborations that everyone else is complaining about. High 3+. Could be a 4.

I've listened to some John Lee Hooker before, but not this one. Some notable guests right at the start between Santana and Bonnie Raitt. Good tunes, but I think the canned 80's production does it a bit of a disservice.

Sometimes I forget how long Hooker's career was. I'm a big fan, but I'm more familiar with his '60s and '70s output. Obviously I love the traditional Delta style blues on here, but the tracks where he branches out beyond that are also great; different instrumentation, some jazzier compositions, and collaborations with other artists. This suffers some from that sterile '80s production, but I can overlook it and appreciate this to be a solid late era album for Hooker.

Blues is a zombie genre that's been living a ghoulish perpetual afterlife since the dawn of rock - it informs most guitar based music and gives the harmonic basis and structural template for everything from classic rock and psych, jazz and jam bands, garage and funk to punk and metal, it's revived every so often when a new guitar guy comes along paying tribute to the old masters, it lives on in the expensive les.pauls of dentists and in museumified concert settings, and every once in a while one of the old guys is wheeled into the spotlight for a tribute (see Buddy Guy, one of the last OGs, with Sinners) - this is one of those times. It's fine, but everything about it is so predictable and boring - the only interesting thing is the kind of jarring combination of earthy blues performances and super clean polished 80s production. Why this over one of his 60s albums?

I knew of John Lee Hooker (of course) but had never focused on any particular album. Not sure what to make of this. I'm not allergic to albums made up of a range of collaborations, but it's weird that this is the one of his albums to make the 1001 list - it may have been his best-seller, but surely isn't the album that best represents his oeuvre and influence. The guest artists are ones I've heard of, but don't know that well, I still thought the guitar work was all pretty cool. I slide through untouched - I'm not as invested in "proper blues" as some other reviewers have been. I'll just say it's Not Bad, 6/10.

Good album, but felt a little hollow compared to his better work.

I assume this is a blues album? It's fine but it's not really something I'd listen to.

Love it

It's a bluesy album, that's for sure. I'm not super amazed by it, just not quite my speed I think. But it's well performed. The songs don't really seem to go anywhere. They just start and are what they are for their runtime. Some of the songs have a riff good enough somewhere in there that it isn't so bad, but to me it just comes off as lazy song writing. Most songs here are just an extended A section, and maybe with a slightly different B section (maybe). The tones are good though, and it's well produced. I respect a lot of the artistry here, but it's just kind of uninteresting. 2.6/5

cold blues album. great instruments and vocals