The Healer

Not a bad album by any means, but really nothing phenomenal going on that John Lee Hooker didn't perfect in earlier albums. I still enjoyed it; I just would much prefer to listen to earlier albums than this one again.

Album starts of with a series of boogie tracks with JLH ably assisted by the likes of Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, George Thorogood and Charlie Musselwhite. We then go onto a number of quieter more reflective tracks.

i hate that late 80s/90s keyboard sound so i didnt make it past track 2

Disappointing - there weren't many moments where I could appreciate the music. There's some down and dirty guitar in there in places which is pretty good. So much of it is just really repetitive and dull though. It's just that same blues template going through everything. It starts off simply ok, and gets more slow, stripped-back and boring as it goes on. 2.5 rounded down.

I love the blues and I enjoy JLH, I'm kinda pissed I didn't know of this album. So many great tracks, some with great artists. Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray... This is a great blues album!

Apple Music has five John Lee Hooker albums highlighted as “Essential albums,” and this isn’t one of them. That always gives me pause when it happens. I’ve even seen yet others mentioned as classics. This album is a nice enough listen, but when he has so many essentials, why would this be the pick, especially when it doesn’t trade in classic blues sounds anyway? This is one of those collaborative albums that artists, especially in jazz or blues, make when they get old. I guess it’s a way of securing a legacy, keeping their name alive, etc, but it always scans to me as a commercial enterprise. Unfortunately there’s a certain class of critics that lap that shit up. That’s my explanation for this album being on here.

Didn't finish, not really for me

I bought this cd when it came out and listened to it a lot in the car when the wife wasn't with me (she didn't like it). Delighted to see it come up today. Thanks!

I admire this guy and his craft, and I wanted to like this one more, but it just didn't really pop for me.

An ok listen, but i tended to like the guest performances better than John Lee Hooker’s, but I get that he is a legend and this is a fitting tribute. It’s also the blueprint for the later hugely successful Supernatural album from Santana.

It's blues legend John Lee Hooker with other great artists. They make each other better. Great classic blues made a little more digestible for the masses. Good stuff.

I didn't mind this but probably need more listens to appreciate. The blues don't hold a huge sway for me.

Not anything hugely memorable but I guess it was perfectly ok.

I can appreciate the legacy of John Lee Hooker and the blues, but this was pretty hard for me to listen to. I think it was the cringe of the pop-music era of the 80s when it was produced. And I generally find blues to be a derivative genre. I'm sure this album is great for blues lovers, but I just don't think it's for me.

It's ok, it isn't bad, but it also doesn't really do anything for me. mid 3.

Incredible album.

4/5

It's fine. A little too slick to my tastes. I prefer the backhalf that is more stripped back and raw.

John Lee Hooker is an awesome blues guitarist, but this record has a lot of hallmarks of late 80s/early 90s records. Unnecessary synths and processing take the fun out of the blues to me.

The opener sounded like Santana, but after that pure blues as expected.

It's like hanging out with Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi. Good stuff.

John Lee Hooker was a blues icon before he recorded this record but its success enabled him to reap the rewards of his long career and hard work. The format was repeated a couple of times in the '90's without as much success. It is a good record, but does not match the quality of his earlier work which is vital listening for even casual fans of the blues.

COME ON. I had Traffic yesterday with it's jazz flute organ psych fusion and now I'm IMMEDIATELY met with jazz flute electric guitar psych fusion from Santana. Ok. Now that I've calmed down, once I get into the album a little bit, it's not half bad. The back half of the album is quite good, but the early collaborations in general just don't do it for me.

Approachable blues album with some star power. The copy of the book I have calls this album "100-proof blues." I disagree, as compared to earlier blues records, this seems watered down. It's not a bad album, I just question it's inclusion here over other, earlier albums.

guter alter blues von einer legende gespielt. fantastisch, auch wenn mir nicht alle titel gleich gefallen.

Grossartiger Blues wie er sein muss!

what a treat!! i don’t really like the blues overall but all the collaboration songs really helped this album for me. and even the straight blues ones at the end i enjoyed because i was into that world at that point. and he played with such an honesty as these guys tend to do. one of those albums from this list that i never would’ve heard of otherwise

It houses both the best and worst traits of late '80s/early '90s blues revival albums.

Healing hearts and taking names.

As soon as I saw the featured artists on this album, with the opener being with Carlos Santana, I knew it would be good. And I wasn’t wrong. Definitely a classic album everyone should have! Listen again: yes! Purchase for my collection: yes! Favourite Song: hard to say but probably the first one.

Just a good blues album isn't it - I mean that in a complimentary way

Own this, not listened to for years. Enjoyed would listen to again. 3 stars for sure, maybe 4

The Healer 3.8 I'm in the Mood 3 Baby Lee 3.2 Cuttin' Out 3.3 Think Twice Before You Go 3.5 Sally Mae 3.6 That's Alright 3.4 Rockin' Chair 3.2 My Dream 3.3 No Substitute 3 Score: 3.33

Having listened to old John Lee Hooker, this album is different. The Santana collaboration was a bit meh. Apart from that it's decent album. I guess its a good introductory album to JLH and probably the reason why it is on this list.

It's a testament to Lee Hooker's status and uniquely poised vocal style that he can be backed by tacky production and yet sound as raw as he does on this blues-pop crossover. Anyway, this one really gets going w/ the Bonnie Raitt duet: the opening track features a particularly thin Santana, even for his very svelte standards. The rest is more than serviceable tho, boasting blues that's...well...bluesy. B/c ultimately, the only way to judge this record is to say that it's somehow both a blues album and an album in possession of a bluesy feel: the real thing and not quite there. It essentially grows into the former tho, concluding w/ a trio of solo tracks that are as good as any in the canon of blues music, even if the final twain border on something else.

good ass blues

I guess it’s alright. Not my kind of music.

Lots of guest artists; he’s clearly a legend. Gets derivative, because it’s the blues. But still relatively diverse in song styles.

I had this one back in the day (thanks, BMG Music Club) and don't recall what happened to it. Listening now I know why I don't miss it. I really appreciate the bigger names collaborating and bringing attention to Mr. Hooker, but the songs don't really bear repeat listens. JLH doing vocal vamps over Hooker-esque grooves laid down in a workmanlike fashion ends up with a somewhat sterile result. Oddly enough the track furthest from my sweet spot, "No Substitute", is my favorite one on the album. Taking it back to just JLH and a 12 string guitar has the strongest punch of the whole album. For that track and putting John Lee Hooker in the ears of a lot of people who had never heard (or heard of) him before I'm giving it three stars.

Un buen disco de blues. Sonaba en todas las emisoras en los.90. Tiene canciones muy míticas, aunque tambien es verdad que, en comparación con otros discos de hooker, este está algo sobreproducido

Suena bien pero es bien local para el que disfruta del blues. No me parece global.2

Awesome opening track! First few tracks of the album are better.

Standouts The Healer Think Twice Before You Go My Dream

The guest artists were very obvious and I’m not sure if that was a good thing or not? May have enjoyed the solo tracks more. A bit repetitive though.

I totally understand the legendary status of those involved across this record, but I wasn't hooked.

Legends meet in the middle to middling results.

Listening to John Lee Hooker is always a pleasure. The hard part I have with this album is he has amazing collaborations. However, the collaborations are with artists who are also amazing which makes this precarious because you can’t appreciate how good the collaboration are without understanding the artist doing them. That said there are some great songs on here with my favorite being the ones that JLH does on his own. My Dream feels authentic and beautiful Rocking Chair is a classic ode to old school Mississippi Delta blues, and you can feel his soul on No Substitute. In so far as the collaborations, I’m in the Mood with Bonnie Raitt And Sally Mae with George Thorogood are my two favorites of those. I’ve owned this album on CD for a long time and I never regretted it. This is definitely a classic and its own right

Random thoughts: * I put this one on without looking at it much while on a car drive. And the first track started playing and I said to myself, this isn't John Lee Hooker, this is Santana! Turns out it was both Hooker and Santana. * I wonder where Santana got the idea for Supernatural. Mmmmm? * Track 2 and beyond were more the blues experience I was expecting. * I never knew about this album before and is again why I'm happy to go through 1001 to be exposed and knowledgable about some more great music like this.

> the Beatles

Tyvärr mycket av det dåliga med 80-talet, trummorna, syntherna och konstiga collabs med artister jag inte tycker passar i blues. Inte för mig.. Tycker blues ska vara mycket mer rått

3.1

I didn't think at first that this would be something I liked, but it was absolutely perfect.

Incredibly dull. Not bad, so gets more than one star, but this sort of blues guitar just leaves me cold. Fine in the right setting but I’m never choosing to listen to this.

3.5

I hated when the soft synths kicked in in the first track, but the later tracks were much better, classic blues played in a contemporary style.

Cette fois-ci, c’est un vrai de vrai album de vrai blues ! Et je ne sais pas trop quoi en penser... Il y a de très bonnes pièces (surtout au milieu de l’album), des un peu plates (comme les duos avec Santana et Bonnie Raitt, par exemple) et des pièces plus tranquilles, à la fin où on entend John Lee Hooker seul à la guitare. Au final, c’est pas mal, de bons moments ici et là, mais pas pour moi.

Good sounds. Kind of a big news day so didn’t listen too much…

wraio instrumental

My Dad had this album when I was a kid and would sometimes play it on long car rides. We were certainly aware of Hooker though we'd ask for the Boom Boom song which seemed funny to a 10-year-old. He would have been in his 70s here and he ropes in lots of special guests to help out but that said the best two songs (My Dream, Rockin' Chair) are just him alone with guitar minus the 80s production and star guests.

often seen as one of the final swan songs for mr. hooker, this album, which has a wide array of special guests is earnest when it comes to blues music... apparently so much that it's earned a grammy. definitely a positive listen for me, after hearing blues albums with the same energy and progressions, this one stands out for its creativity. it's a really nice window when it comes to blues... TRUE blues, from someone who's lived enough to experience it. i see this album as an elder sharing his stories with the young folk, with the intent of keeping these fables circulating for generations.

Nope

cant go wrong

Not my thing, but I can respect a blues legend.

I wish it was an older album of his, sounds a little dated with all of the collaborators. Good blues tho. 3/5

I wouldn't say I loved it, but I enjoyed it more than most stuff on this list. Really solid blues. 3.9

john lee heeft betere platen gemaakt.. dit is iets te gelikt om echt goed te zijn

Pretty average blues, well produced with an all star cast.

eh this guy is a legend but this album is not

Rockin' Chair may be the bluesiest song I've ever heard

The blues. 80's sound, with some afro/latin vibes. Smokey pool hall, whiskey, cheap beer Harmonica, slide guitar, whammy bar.

2 stars. Boring 12 bar blues, decent harmonica

Some good tunes! Didn't blow my mind but enjoyed the higher tempo blues rockers. Think twice before you was great.

ladies and gentleman its CARLOS SANTANA!!! the bluuuuuuEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS

Never listened much to Hooker but this was really solid. I do know his top hit “Boom Boom” but nothing from this album.

Like Jim Croce but less AM Radio

If you can get past the first track that features Santana it’s a perfectly fine record. Nothing amazing here.

Super easy listening to. Maybe look for this in vinyl for Saturday morning coffee on the deck.

When in the mood.

Kind of liked this. Nothing stand out but nothing to hate, just a vibe. It really suited my Wednesday mood.

I don't feel this album shows off the full skill of John Lee Hooker.

1+ Stars (3/15)

I think i liked

I wish I liked this more because there's nothing inherently wrong with it but unfortunately blues music is just not really my jam so I felt next to nothing while listening to this record (I'm gonna give it a decent rating anyways). Favorite track: The Healer 2.5/5

Vibey. Fun to listen to.

such mid. it’s insane. would be a 1 if not for the incredible blues track that is the first track on the album

2.4 1x catch up 8/20

5/10 Its a bit pointless isnt it? Not going anywhere. None of the songs feel like they were planned in advance before recording. Im sure hes talented and it was a pleasant listening experience, but you could skip any track and you wouldnt miss anything important.

There’s some good blues in there, but it’s not the best J L Hooker blues. Ironically the songs i enjoyed the most had no collabs

7 tracks in and it's not terrible But not existing at all imo. I'll not be coming back to it But it's more a 2 than a

Great for blues aficionados

A legend getting paid, who can blame him. Also this music feels like it was in every single Ron Shelton movie ever

3/10

John Lee Hooker made magnificent music. This album is no exception. I really enjoyed listening to it again. 5/5

Sad to say that this bored me and the blues should not be doing that.Don’t think the collaborative thing does him any favours here

For a blues album I really didn’t mind it. Didn’t sound like the same song all the time and the additional artists added a lot to it

Just not a fan of blues... all songs feel so samey

Some really cool features but a bit underwhelming

It was kinda a vibe until it wasn’t. Dude there are more than 3 chords Jesus. Got very stale very quickly

I’m less familiar with John Lee Hooker than I would like, so I was happy to discover this much-vaunted album. The first track left me sightly disappointed, since it had a « happy feeling » that just didn’t do it for me. But the rest of the album was mostly great – especially « In the Mood » and « Sally Mae », which are exactly what I’m expecting from Blues music : deep, slow, harsh and sexy at the same time. All in all a great Blues album, all the more impressing since it was composed when John Lee Hooker was already 72. The numerous featurings are a welcome addition, although not essential to the album. A good 3,5* for me.

Nice jazzy album but it does not give me a "boom boom" mood

Thanks to this list, I discovered Bonnie Raitt’s glorious perm, and thanks to her and to Santana, the king of features, Hooker had a bit of a comeback and landed a spot here. It’s clearly listenable, even nice, but there’s way better blues out there, even in Hooker’s own catalog. Kinda disappointing that this is the first blues album the list throws at us.

Many years ago, my friend Kenny gifted my punk ass a Muddy Waters box set, which started my love of blues. Shortly into my exploration of this music, I discovered and fell in love with the raw blues power of John Lee Hooker. At 72, when this album was released, the man still has it! John Lee Hooker is one of the most important and influential blues artists who direct inspired many important bands like the rolling stones. First releasing music in the 50s, Hooker was among the chief innovators of electric blues and really ramped up the intensity of blues generally. Like many black artists of his time, despite releasing dozens of records he struggled financially until he toured Europe and started to receive mainstream recognition. “The Healer” has a more modern, sometimes blues-rock, sound and is more musically complex than Hooker’s early days where it was literally just him on the guitar kicking wood for back beats, which means that is an excellent entry for people unfamiliar with his work. His collaborations with artists like Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos and Santana also help with the album’s accessibility. All that said, anyone with any familiarity with Hooker’s earlier work will immediately recognize his work. I can’t see how anyone who appreciates the blues at all would not get a kick out of this album. I own the record, so I already enjoyed it previously, but it was a nice reminder to pull the CD from my collection. Given the importance of Hooker’s work and his influence on iconic bands like Hendrix, the Stones, The Door and many others, he certainly deserves to be represented by this project and this album was a great pick. It is cool albeit somewhat baffling that after 40 years this was the album that finally got him broad mainstream recognition, earning him his first Grammy after 40 years of producing and releasing music. Yet, through this late recognition revitalized his career later in life and let him go out at the top of his game. How cool is that?

“In the 1001 albums book, let’s include an album by one of the greatest blues performers of all time…” “Absolutely! Great idea.” “…that he recorded in the late 1980’s when he was 72 years old…” “Wait, what?” “…and making one of those sad late-career duets albums that once great artists make with younger more popular acts after they are way way past their primes, but the artists are so old that the “young popular” artists they do duets with are also old and past their primes because the person making the album is too old to know the difference!” “Dude, what the fuck?!”

Very familiar. Great 1st choice.

Robert "Jazz Hands" Dylan

I love the classic blues riff

12 bar snooze

Another 12-bar blues encrusted bore. Some of the songwriting and performances are enjoyable, but most of the album is instantly forgettable. Not sure how this genre could have maintained such popularity and reverence way into the late 80s but in fairness it’s not too bad as far as blues albums go. The Healer (6/10) I’m in the Mood (5/10) Baby Lee (5/10) Cuttin’ Out (6/10) Think Twice Before You Go (8/10) Sally Mae (6/10) That’s Alright (5/10) Rockin’ Chair (4/10) That’s My Dream (7/10) No Substitute (7/10) 5.9/10

Kind of a mixed bag of collaborations and stylistic variations. Some didn't quite float my boat. Some are the self assured works of a true maestro. Towards the end, we get the pared-back, almost Saharan blues of My Dream, which I found very affecting. This, and its two neighbouring tracks, are the only songs without big-name collaborators; probably not just coincidence that I enjoyed these the most. I will return to this record

Blueslegende meets Rock. Cool.

I prefer the more bare-bones blues (re: Plays and Sings the Blues). But hey, this is damn good, too. 5 easy stars

Amazing voice, some nice guest appearances. Songs were just okay

Kinda fun kinda good

Bluesy but I don't think a 5. I could stand to listen to more of this guy, especially his collaboration with van Morrison as I like his music a lot too

p608. 1989. 5 stars. Damn. I love me some blues, and it doesn't get better than this. Not a weak track on this.

It was ok. I’m not much for these “comeback” style albums that have a bunch of guest appearances, but I do like the old school blues guys. It was fine, I just honestly didn’t see what the fuss was about or why it made this list.

Here's something neat about this album project. The fact that each genre is represented a number of times has allowed me to form opinions about genres at large. Of course, these are still generalizations to an extent, but I've started to learn more and more about what genres I do and don't care for. Blues is a genre that I'm not super big on myself, but it's certainly one that I respect. John Lee Hooker's 1989 album The Healer is no different. This isn't like my favorite thing in the world, but it's got some good things to it that I enjoy. John Lee Hooker is one of the more influential artists in the blues genre. As far as influence, he's up there with someone like Muddy Waters for sure. However, while he got his start all the way back in the 1930s, this album is a release from 1989. Interesting. It's also a collaborative album with a number of artists, including some that also appear on this list like Carlos Santana and Bonnie Raitt. Interesting collaborator list if I do say so myself. The style here definitely has its roots in blues, but takes some semi-modern influences as well. This is most obvious on the title track, which sounds pretty smooth to me (I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that it literally has guitar from the guy who played on "Smooth"). John Lee Hooker's got some nice bluesy vocals. Definitely getting those Muddy Waters vibes. Maybe I don't understand blues. I don't know. What I do understand is that this album's good. The instrumentation is pretty nice as well. Overall, this is a neat listen that I wouldn't call a favorite of mine, but is one that I'm not upset to have listened to. 3/5.

I LOVE this album, have done since it came out. JLH is one of my favourite blues artists, great voice and he does not stick to basic 12-bar blues. There are loads of guests on this album so every song has a different signature sound, but it still works together for me. As far as blues goes, this is among the best for me.

If I were to choose a JLH album, it wouldn't be this one. Still flashes of brilliance.

Well, That's Alright. My only real complaint is that the cover is giving MS Paint. Also, the Spotify description of this guy is ruthless! "One-chord" and "primitive"‽

Blues really isn’t my thing. The album was “fine”. It didn’t captivate me. Probably wouldn’t listen again if I was making my own choices.

Only first track is decent

A veritable who's who of blues icons all in one package? Sign me tf up!! Well recorded, great selection of songs, just wish SRV appeared. Easy 5 nonetheless.

I love The Blues Brothers, it took me a couple of tracks for the penny to drop that that’s where I recognised JLH from. As for the album itself, I really enjoyed it, some really good Blues guitar on here.

John Lee is a legend, plain and simple. While I like this album, it feels overproduced. John Lee is about the grittiness of the blues and this seems too polished. I would recommend people check out his earlier recordings. A highlight is a duet with Bonnie Raitt on I'm in the Mood. The track is fun, but again, a little too slick. There is a live recording of the duet on a compilation album that is much better, in my opinion.

Not bad. Not really blown away by it either.

enjoyed this. especially the slower parts

Cool collab album, enjoyed listening. No bad songs.

JLH was probably the first blues artist I discovered (playing Boom boom boom in the Blues Brothers). Nothing wrong with this record and it's nice to see JLH get some widespread recognition late in his career. That being said this isn't even in the top 5 best JLH records. If you want the real deal check out John Lee Hooker Plays and Sings the Blues

I wouldn’t know the difference between good and bad blues??….

First track reminds me of Matchbox 20, thanks to Carlos Santana. Collab albums like this are just jumping the shark.Anyway, it gets better eventually. Pairings with Canned Heat and George Thorogood are standouts, but I think I prefer my John Lee undiluted. (Where's the more you dilute Morrissey, for example, the better). Three stars. Three stars.

Later in life, musicians tend to need a little support. Or, like Van Morrison is doing now, they collect up duets and collaborations with everyone they've ever admired - be it Taj Mahal or Curtis Stigers. I don't know if those Van collabs will come out now, just like Morrissey's recording with Miley Cyrus has been wisely smothered by handlers with a shred of shame. You learn a lot about a man by his friends. Or, at least, who will publicly admit to being his friend. John Lee Hooker's friends are a respectable lot, although not to my taste. However, it says more about them than him that their contributions to the album do him no favours - gross 80s production and restraint passing as reverence. The final three tracks, mercifully free from such suffocating piety, reveal a crackling ember of vitality, no less potent for its isolation. That's what I imagine old age is really like. Maybe he couldn’t manage a whole album solo anymore. Maybe he didn’t want to. Maybe he liked the company, even if I don’t. Perhaps he got his flowers with this record, but I hope he got a decent cheque and didn’t have to listen to too many playback sessions pretending to be pleased. 1.5 I wasn't healed but I was number with boredom which is nearly as good. 1.5/5

Als je blues googlet krijg je dit album denk ik, wauw. Doorrookte stem, gitaar riffjes, en eigenlijk continue denk ik alleen maar dat dit de blauwdruk(haha) is van Blues. En dat is ook meteen het album. Houd je van blues? Dan vind je dit geweldig. Hou je niet van Blues? Dan vind je het matig. Ik vind Blues een genre dat ik nooit helemaal heb begrepen, en eerlijk? Dit album heeft wel echt geholpen! De eerste 2 nummers vond ik echt heel sterk, en ik ging er meteen goed voor zitten. Want zou dit dan de plaat zijn waar ik eindelijk blues fan ga worden? Nee dat niet helemaal, het is een lekker album, met John Lee Hooker zijn doorrookte stem over het hele album met vrijwel minimale instrumentale hulp. Er zijn best wel wat features op het album en die werken ook zeker, maar de focus en de ster is ongetwijfeld John Lee en zijn gitaar. En ik noem ze beiden, want ze zijn echt onlosmakelijk met elkaar verbonden. Nou het album dan; er zitten heerlijke riffjes in, de zang van John Lee was ook echt goed. Maar toch, uiteindelijk kan ik me er toch niet helemaal aan onttrekken dat dit album zó veel beter had kunnen zijn. Dit album begint echt geweldig, en het einde heeft ook echt hele sterke nummers, maar het midden is zo matig en gezapig dat ik uiteindelijk toch uit kom op een matige 3 sterren. Prima album, niet iets wat ik nog een keer zal gaan luisteren. FAVO: The Healer, Im in the mood, My Dream

John Lee Hooker is the man. The collabs on this one are top notch. Great album.

I expected a smooth blues album from John Lee Hooker, and I was not disappointed. There is no mistaking how Hooker pioneered blues music, because his blues doesn't sound like anybody else's. Santana's blues makes for a great combination with Hooker's, too. I quite like the fact there are so many collaborations on this album. The Healer was toward the end of Hooker's career, and there's a definite passing of the torch vibe. Those collaborations were easily part of the reason for the Grammy win. At the same time, I wish I heard more that was Hooker only, especially when I suspect this is his only album on the list. Alas.

This album is not bad, but it is definitely dominated by the features; I don't get a strong sense for John Lee Hooker, because I'm mostly getting the other people. Granted, this album came out towards the end of Hooker's career, and likely reflects exactly what he wants it to, but as far as an inclusion on this project from Hooker, I can't help but feel like there was a better choice. Still, it's a decent and enjoyable blues album.

Swam song for a legend. Lot of neat collabs. Nothing earth shattering as a listen, but some neat collabs. I also like that this albums sales set him financially for the rest of his life.

If you ever wanted to say that all blues sounds the same, listen to this album where the true masters came together and made a masterpiece, as far as blues can go. A great album! 4/5

Boring. Sounds almost like one looong song. Nope from me.😊

It's fine I guess, but there's just not enough of a USP on offer here for it to come anywhere close to justifying its place in the list. This is a decent enough blues album which relies heavily on many of the tropes associated with the genre, but it did get my feet tapping on occasion. Equally, however, there is some absolute tripe on here too, primarily in the form of "Rocking Chair" and everything that follows. Apparently, one mumbling, weary acoustic-led dirge of a track wasn't enough of a downer to end proceedings on, so instead we ended up with three of them for our sins. This album supposedly culminated in John Lee Hooker's peak chart success following a fallow 17-year period throughout his mid-career, but all I can ask is "why?".

Quality compilation of guest artists joining a legendary bluesman. It's good but feels a bit contrived.

Quite cool… very minimal.

I gotta listen to more from this guy. This feels more like a late career resurgence which is cool

pretty cool and good guests ... i guess him and canned heat made an album together in 71, sounds cool idk

I don't really like blues, it's very funny they don't know his age though. How hard can it be to find that out. Will I listen to again: 1%

Es ist nichts besonderes. Chillig

I've been healed

Delta blues is always a tough genre for me to rate. It takes a lot of talent to really make something with the Delta blues because you can't hide poor musicianship behind a wall of sound. But, it's also limited because of genre constrains, making a full album of delta blues a bit... too much of the same old, same old. I struggled to stay engaged for the whole album. It's fine, but not one I'll return to.

I liked hearing the individual collaborators contributions and styles, but I didn't really get a taste for hooker himself. Was a good classic blues listen, but want to hear more him

The Healer is certainly one interesting album but i guess that is to be expected from a man who doesn't seem to have a definitive birth year. What mainly surprised me was the sheer number of featuring musicians here. There is everyone from Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, George Thorogood and many others and each of these musicians brought something different to each of the songs they appeared in. Each song they appeared in was no doubt a good song but the last 3 songs there that were just done by Hooker fell a bit flat. This is no doubt an enjoyable album, i just don't think i would enjoy it as much without the extra musicians. Best Song: I'm In The Mood Worst Song: No Substitute

The Healer Mark walked into the wine bar, newly opened, excitingly sophisticated and unmistakably the talk of Aylesbury in the summer of 1989. He conspicuously placed his copy of the Financial Times on the counter and took off his jacket. With an air of deliberate disinterest he adjusted his red braces and spoke to the barman. He ordered a glass, medium, of Chardonnay to be sent to the blonde further along the bar, her gold clip on earrings catching the light hopefully beneath her immaculately set perm. Although they didn’t yet know it, they shared a language of leveraged assets, percentages, compound interest, investments and tax efficiencies and a love of Gordon Gekko, in a way that only people who work at rival, family run chartered accountants could. The opening bars of The Healer drifted from the speakers as Janet nodded and Mark, and as Mark mouthed ‘shall I join you?’ The title track’s Santana-assisted cheesiness is actually a little bit of an outlier, signalling its late 80s production and sound a little too heavily. The rest of the collaborations are much better, although some work better than others - Baby Lee, Cuttin’ Out, Sally Mae and That’s Alright are great, the latter two’s soulful blues in particular His voice and guitar are consistently great throughout, but the album really excels over the last 3 tracks. With no guest stars and the pared back, simpler production and arrangements it allows his fantastic, evocative and charismatic voice and his superb, characterful and expressive guitar playing to come to the fore. As fine as the collaborations are, these three tracks are utterly captivating, the dusty country blues of Rockin’ Chair, the slow, hushed, spooky ominousness of My Dream and the resigned and muted bluesy march of No Substitute. Up to track seven it's probably a 3, perfectly enjoyable with a couple of highlights, but those excellent final three tracks elevate this to a 4. I’ll definitely come back to it, although I might skip the title track, unless I want to dream of Mark and Janet 🪝🪝🪝🪝 Playlist submission: Rockin’ Chair

This could easily have all the elements that would turn me off - blues, wheeling out random duets, and some 80s MoR stylings. But somehow it avoids overly-dated production to remain surprisingly tasteful; and it mainly avoids dull blues tropes and it doesn't fall into the chasm of bland blues-rock. Aside from the cracking opener, my highest praise is saved for when everyone else leaves the studio and let's Hooker do his thing. 'Rockin' Chair' feels like a one-take recording of a master at work. As powerful as any other track here, and just down to the elemental bare bones of one man and his beat up acoustic. A great sound. 'No Substitute' sounds like a 12-string. Incredible the way he draws variations out from essentially his one chord. 'My Dream' is superb. A defining later-career album.

At best an ok blues album. Not my favorite. Best track was The Healer featuring Santana.

Good classic blues. Doesn’t light you on fire, but smooth and easy to listen to.

3 estrelas

2*

Bastante bien todo. Buenas colabos, aunque bno conozco a nadie. La voz del cantante me recuerda a la de Mark Knopfler. Bien chill las canciones, me gustan.

This was certainly an interesting concept. Pair a Blues legend with another, somewhat more modern artist and hope magic happens. Sadly magic did not happen.

A good one

3,5/5 (8 mais pas 6)

Some solid guitar solos, but I can't stand the vocals and it feels a little forced at times, maybe because of all of the collaborators.

3.3 Pretty decent blues album. Last 3 tracks dipped but I'm guessing they were bonus ones. Not my fave genre but can appreciate the quality

It’s the Blues. Meh.

As to be expected, the guitar playing is phenomenal throughout the album. However I really disliked the production. It has those 1980s drums and chorusy guitar effects, so dated and not befitting John Lee Hooker's vibe which should be more organic or even spooky (thinking like Tom Waits' Mule Variations as a better example of a vibe that could fit). The best song is his duet with Bonnie Raitt, but even then it's a bit off-putting given their difference in age and I don't feel any tension between them, almost like movie actors doing a scene but they are actually not in the same room. Many of the later songs sound the same. I just didn't vibe with this at all, but respect JLH and his playing.

cool. Its Blues, I want something to blow me away. I just feel like I am getting lbums lately that are nice to listen to, but nothing that makes me go wow, How did i never listen to this. I am sure blues lovers will tell me whats special about this, but to the non blues fan, it sounds like pretty much any other blues album, and there are lots on this list. Think Twice before you go and My Dream was cool

Great blues album.

Solid album by the blues master.

Solid blues album

No clue what to expect here. The title track starts imediatelly as what I would expect a Carlos Santana track to sound like. Really liked this track! Ok so, blues is not really my genre... That being said, this second track is closer to the few blue songs I do like, with those deep notes and heavy percussion. So I do like this one, even if it goes on for a bit too long. I'm honestly considering just not ending this album, as this is just really not my style... This would be the first time I did it so far, not even because this is the worst thing on the list, but jsut because... I'm bored. Yeah, the album's just dragging on...... I'm sure that for people who like the genre this is great, but as someone who's not that big of a fan it just goes on and on and on without much change. Ãll that being said, My Dream is the best track after the first two. Love the mood it sets. The closer keeps this change in mood going, but I think My Dream was more successful in its execution. Yeah, I feel like I've said my peace. This is just not the genre for me. I did enjoy the first two and last two songs, but everything in between was tough to get through. Bye

I've heard of this musician. True blues. This is good stuff. I know I have not listened to any of this stuff and it's good.

It's a pleasant listen, but I don't think it compares to his 60s-70s work.

Bluesy - not really my style

I like blues rock, not straight blues. Some of these songs are kinda good but are not songs I would come back to. There is some good blues guitar here though from the guests.

01) The Healer - 10,0 02) I'm in the Mood - 8,0 03) Baby Lee - 7,5 04) Cuttin' Out - 7,0 05) Think Twice Before You Go - 7,0 06) Sally Mae - 7,0 07) That's Alright - 6,5 08) Rockin' Chair - 6,0 09) My Dream - 7,0 10) No Substitute - 6,5 TOTAL: 7,25 (73/100) Current ranking: 316/586

Track one isn’t very representative of this I would say. Not sure how I feel about the blues being given an 80s sheen. At its core these were still pretty good though.

Smoky cool blues

nice blues

Sounds like JLH! I like it. He's a legend and doesn't get enough credit for the big role he played in early Dylan's development.

Начало бодренькое и концовка интересная, а середина немного скучновата. Особенно понравилась песня с Бонни Райт. 7 из 10.

I keep saying to myself ‘I should listen to more of the Blues’ and then I don’t. So this was helpful (caveats about authenticity (not from me) aside). Quite liked this.

I went deep into Blues music five or six years ago, so I'm surprised this didn't cross my radar sooner. I'm naturally a little sceptical of albums with a lot of features and while I remain sceptical the Bonnie Raitt and Charlie Musselwhite features were solid. The last three (solo) tracks on the album were, for me, standouts. Overall, an enjoyable but not life changing listen.

Great duets

this record feels so commercial, not the gritty blues I love hearing from JLH but more like playing smooth poppy blues with a random selection of celebrities to sell records. Can't blame him for doing it in 1989 but just isn't a great record

A later album and the production is just that bit too polished compared to the early albums which have grit and bite. This is more Clapton than Chicago blues.

I’ve heard of John Lee Hooker before, but I’m completely unfamiliar with his music. Blues music tends to be a miss with me, especially if it’s something blues-derivative, but with John Lee Hooker, being a legend of blues music, I have higher expectations for this album. I see that Bonnie Raitt is on a song on this album as well, so that’s a major plus too. Let’s go visit The Healer! Unfortunately, The Healer wasn’t really my jam. There was a lot of sameness to the sound, and I found myself pretty bored listening to this. I don’t know if it was due to the guest musicians, or if there was something else about this album that just didn’t sound great to me. The first track with Santana was interesting, especially with the eighties keyboard playing. The lyrics were good too, and it gave me hope for the rest of the album. As I expected, I liked hearing Bonnie Raitt’s vocals on the second song, and her voice was a good contrast with Hooker’s. Other than that though, there wasn’t anything else I enjoyed on that song. The rest of the album just kept plodding along towards the end for me, but I did like the harmonica on “Cuttin’ Out” and the zydeco sound that was present on “Think Twice Before You Go” with Los Lobos. Even though I liked those little bits, I wouldn’t say that I was blown away by either of those songs. Unfortunately, I thought the best part of the album was the last two songs. “My Dream” was really great, and I loved the slower tempo and painfully wistful lyrics. Hooker’s vocals were really great on that song too. “No Substitute” was great too. I loved the guitar playing, and the slower tempo and stripped-down instrumentation had me hyper focused on the lyrics. Even though I liked those last two songs, this album as a whole wasn’t really to my liking. I’d be willing to give John Lee Hooker another shot, but just not this album.

Very good. Solid riffs

Mama, I love the blues

Decent album, starts off pretty strong, but the end its a little repetitious

They should have picked an earlier album by JLH and put Strong Persuader by Robert Cray and something by Stevie Ray Vaughn instead. Like this is fine good stuff but there's more essential stuff left off

I can't believe I'd never heard of John Lee Hooker. This is a damn good album.

I guess it doesn’t realy get more blues than with Hooker.. the collabs are nice, I vibed to this today. Album art is quite ominous. I like it but it does not necessarily match the music tone of voice.

I don't really know what to make of this album

Das Album The Healer von John Lee Hooker, veröffentlicht 1989, wurde überwiegend in den Russian Hill Recording Studios in San Francisco aufgenommen. Weitere Aufnahmen entstanden im The Plant in Sausalito und im Leon Haywood Studio in Los Angeles. Der US-amerikanische Bluesmusiker arbeitete auf diesem Album mit verschiedenen Künstlern zusammen, darunter Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, Canned Heat, Los Lobos, Charlie Musselwhite und George Thorogood. Musikalisch bewegt sich das Album im Bereich des Blues, wobei es Elemente des Electric Blues, Delta Blues und Modern Electric Blues integriert. Zu den bekanntesten und stilprägenden Songs zählen der Titeltrack „The Healer“ mit Carlos Santana, „I'm In The Mood“ im Duett mit Bonnie Raitt, „Baby Lee“ mit Robert Cray und „Cuttin' Out“ mit Canned Heat. Diese Stücke zeigen Hookers Fähigkeit, traditionelle Bluesstrukturen mit modernen Einflüssen zu verbinden. The Healer markiert einen bedeutenden Punkt in Hookers Karriere, da es ihm ermöglichte, ein neues Publikum zu erreichen und Anerkennung in Form eines Grammy Awards für „I'm In The Mood“ zu erhalten. Das Album zeigt Hookers charakteristischen Stil und seine Fähigkeit zur Zusammenarbeit mit anderen Künstlern, ohne dabei seine musikalische Identität zu verlieren.

The instrumentals were interesting, if a bit repetitive and the vocals didn't do anything for me.

I apologise to Mrs Lee Hooker and Santana, i put this on but my kids were being feral and i couldnt gibe this much attention. Im sure there is a good blues/latin guitar album here but it washed over me without leaving any impressions.

A man who mumbles words while playing the same guitar lick for 40 minutes. 1/10

Every time I hear the name John Lee Hooker I think about Juliet Lewis in Natural Born Killers being mad she can’t go to his concert. Then I think how fucking weird it was for a teenager in 1994 to want to go to a John Lee Hooker concert. Then I think about how weird Natural Born Killers is. So what I’m really saying is I have no idea what he sounds like. Bluesy I guess? Last song is the standout. The rest feels very sanitized and lacks grit.

Really good

This would be so much better without all the guests. I love JLH, but no one needs to hear Santana on this shit.

J’aime pas le blues mais la première est vraiment bonne. 3☆ à cause de la première

The collaborations distract from JLH’s strengths, to my ear. Not bad, just not great either.

A stacked collaboration album with polished production value. That said, it loses something along the way and doesn't have the soul that most Hooker albums do.

Artiste connu de nom uniquement comme une légende du blues. L'ambiance latin et les interventions de guitare sont intéressantes dans 'The Healer'. Mais dès le second morceau on retombe dans les travers du blues (morceaux répétitifs par conception, avec les mêmes progressions d'accords - sympa pour les jams mais c'est le seul intérêt que j'y vois). Je me suis donc rapidement ennuyé, malgré quelques impros guitare intéressantes (+1). =>2/5

Feels like a Johnny Cash late in life album... collabing with a bunch of contemporary artists... kind of a circle is unbroken vibe... Good. but may not come back to it.

Overall: 6/10 I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, Hooker has a great voice and is an OG who understands the blues and how to implement it best. On the other hand, the album is overproduced and features too many collaborators that take away from Hooker's performance. In the end, it's worth checking out, especially if you're a newcomer to the blues like I am. Fav Song: I'm In the Mood Least Fav Song: The Healer

Wonderful heartfelt album, really feels like experiencing a piece of a man’s soul, a journey into his hurt and psychic trauma. Great playing on every track, and a deep rich voice

Nice

John Lee Hooker is a Blues ledged. This album is him at his best. Personally, I can't really enjoy Blues for an extended listening period. It always kinda drags after a while. This album was no exception. But that's more of a me problem. I think his duet with Bonnie Raitt was the best thing on the album. Sultry and smooth with that classic blues chord progression that defines the genre. So "I'm in the Mood" will be making it to the 1001 playlist. ~ 4 Stars

It's Blues. It was fine. It gets a little old after a beat.

Good vibes for a blues album, the opener threw me off with Santana but the rest of the album fell into familiar blues territory. Not so amazing that I’d come back to it often, but good enough for a listen again

Going into this one I thought hells yeah this is bound to be 4 or 5 stars. I got a little worried when I wasn’t super impressed with the title track, still good, but a little too much Carlos Santana for me. Next up was an amazing version of I’m In The Mood, one of my favorite songs of his and we’re right back on track. Five stars, I could listen to this over and over, love his voice and his unique style.

It’s fine. Bonnie Raitt was the most enjoyable part for me. There are better John Lee Hooker albums out there. Shame we’re stuck with a late era celebrity musician team up album instead of a better album that better represents JLH.

The song with Carlos Santana was interesting, but overall this is was a bit underwhelming (but it is still John Lee Hooker so it can’t be all bad).

Completely unmemorable, like the Men In Black guys wiped my memory right after I listened

I can use one.

67/100. A good blues record, anchored by the standout title track, which is easily the highlight and sets a high bar early on. While the rest of the album doesn’t quite reach the same level, it’s still a solid and enjoyable listen.

It's as good as any other legendary musician steeped thier own genre

Love John Lee Hooker, but not this album. Feels like a money grab.

Pretty awesome record by a legend

If I wanted to listen to John Lee Hooker, this is not the album I would choose. It's fine, but i find some of the collaborations to be distracting. The last 3 tracks are my favorites.

Well, this is a pleasant album. It kicks off really well with beautiful guitar work by Carlos Santana and Bonnie Raitt, as well as Robert Cray. The guest appearance by Canned Heat is typical, but Los Lobos really steals the show. Unfortunately the rets of the album is not so good. The guest appearances by George Thorogood and Charlie Musselwhite are less interesting, and the three songs without guest are a bit of a candle burning out. And the production is really eighties. The singing sounds like it's been recorded in the cathedral of Amiens. Boy, that's bad. Still, overall a good one.

Fuck me this sounds awful. You can pinpoint the exact year this was made just by the overbearing production. I have no idea what those vaguely Peruvian flute sounding instruments are but that’s how you know you’re in the late 80s early 90s adult contemporary production hell. And the blues needs that sound like how a grease fire needs a gallon of water. It just makes everything worse. Anyways, every song on here is a collab. It’s all bad. I hate this.

Fine.

Solid 3 stars in my book

I know that I should appreciate this more, but alas...here we are.

Too new

Good listen with excellent artists playing with a legend.

No soy mucho de esto. Es agradable pero no me mueve mucho.

Some of these interactions are great, some obscure Hooker's and/or the collaborators' mastery. I tend toward preferring blues in small doses, so these various changes often, but not always, help engagement.

Not pure blues or the best of JLH but if the collaborations made him a few cents and made him more accessible then kudos to the guy.

This had some great blues guitar duets.

I bet every one of the artists on this were pleased and excited to collaborate with John Lee Hooker, but these sorts of affairs rarely result in sublime full-length records. Which is the case here. Strange choice for the single JLH inclusion. Dude's got a long list of releases, this ain't the best of them.

I'll just echo what so many of the other reviewers have said: This is a fine collection, though often marred by '80s production. It's best when it's just him (last 3 tracks). The collaborations mostly don't excite (though I liked the Canned Heat and Los Lobos tunes). Dude is still bringing it at age 73, so hats off to him! But let's give the legend his due and scrap this album in favor of one of his '60s recordings that inspired pretty much every British Invasion band.

Really dig his guitar action.

- 3.5 cause it's J.Lee Hooker - some good stuff but I NEED to hear one of his early releases .... -

Blues with friends. A little Chicago electric, and a little Memphis jangle. There’s certainly some essence of the primal music here, and that’s good. The collection feels a little stretched across the features.

Many shades of blues, thouroughly enjoyed

Pretty cool stuff

Not bad, but nothing all that moving either.

Great musician, great blues, great album.

aight

Klassisehkoa bluesia on. Menee sunnuntaikuunteluna kerran, ei hierrä, ei tanssita, nyökytyttää kyllä.

Kolme viimeistä biisiä iskivät (ei vierailevia artisteja). Viimeinen liikutti (kuuntele sanat). Sai minut arvioimaan uudelleen koko levyä. Kunnioitettava temppu.

I hope this was hype when it came out. It falls a little flat for me, I like it when Jack White does the same thing but maybe it’s because his is upbeat, distorted, and poppier. Good blues but just didn’t do anything for me except for no substitute.

This album hit when I listened to it. I haven't listened to much true Blues, but this was definitely enjoyable. The rawness and looseness of the album was refreshing and comforting. I can imagine each instrument only having 1 take to get the track down before settling on it. This includes the vocals. For a genre of music that is much better to listen to live, I felt like this album was able to mimic that experience well. Decent 4

I’m way behind on albums and I wasn’t excited for this one. Blues isn’t really my thing but this record kinda ruled. I really liked the simulated live atmosphere of this record and it wasn’t super long. Top tracks were the one with Bonnie Ratt and also the Los Lobos track. 4/5

Well made Blues sharpened to a razor point, but definitely infused with enough 80s maximalism to make it sell. Strong stuff, and I'm glad it got John Lee Hooker the respect he deserved, but it feels closer to the blues rock he inspired then the talking and hill country blues he made when he was younger.

Know the artist but didn’t expect Santana and pan flute! Night drive to get moving boxes

good

Wow. Does the blues get any better than this? For me this is awesome.

First song is great! Reminds me of Smooth Operator. Rest of the album reminded me of Tom Waits’ Way Down in the Hole.

the title track is one of the best songs I've heard in a long long time, but the rest of the album doesn't really stack up

John Lee Hooker’s got plenty of respect from me, but wow that was one of the most boring albums I’ve ever heard. Best song: No Substitute

New album to me and I love it!

My dad always listened to Blues growing up and I only ever half payed attention to it. I shouldve listened more, this was really good!

Good listen. Shined on the tracks without features

Vinyl: No Fav Song: The Healer Notes: Good but a bit disjointed.

I was over Santana about 20 years ago after his collab with the dummies from Matchbox Twenty. This one finishes strong with Hooker on his own.

It's a really good album. The guest stars were superb as well. Hooker was in his early 70s when he made this album, making it an incredible feat. I hadn't even heard of him before. (Like with many artists here) The song with Canned Heat was the best one. 4 stars for "The Healer".

Enjoyment: 3/5, he can do better. Objectively: 4/5, what a guitarist, and lots of variety.

I love John Lee Hooker. I love the Blues. But this was just not it. Make your bag, totally get it. But this shouldn't be on this list. Put on Real Folk Blues or Burnin'. But not this. This is not good

falling asleep

A nice little blues album that really shouldn’t sound so samey given the amount of guest musicians here.

Amazing

If anything at least now I’m interested in diving into his back catalogue, though this album wasn’t quite doing it for me.

бодро за счет приглашенных артистов и тухло за счет собственного обаяния

This project has taught me I like Blues This was a good one and I appreciate how well he created a good, soulful album. He has emotion and quality guitar work.

I'm not a big blues fan but it was cool to hear a legend and some authentic blues. I liked the guitar playing but I think I'd prefer to hear one of his earlier albums because this felt a little uninspired and rehashed.

The Blues are like certain ethnic foods. You love it and you look forward to it, but there is absolutely no reason to eat it every day when there are so many other great cuisines out there to love. The Blues are too niche to want to eat on a regular basis. I would be ok with these songs in a live setting because they have a vibrant, kinetic energy, but I have no desire to sit down and listen to the Blues all of the time because everything else (sans modern country…BARF!) interests me more.

This was cool and had some interesting funk to it. A lot of the songs were a little slow and hookless for my taste, but in general, the vibes are up with it, and it was pleasant to ye olde ears. The song with Bonnie was my fave!

Several of the songs on this record got a lot of airplay on KSUT, my local public radio station growing up. I especially recall the title track, a bold move for a seasoned bluesman. If I remember correctly, this album helped revitalize John Lee Hooker's career. All of the features on this record are fantastic. "I'm In The Mood" featuring Bonnie Rait and "Think Twice Before You Go" featuring Los Lobos are standouts for me.

The album totally shifted gears after the first song, which was a classic Santana banger. Afterwards the whole record was blues, but it sounded great throughout. Favorites: The Healer

Blues album of high quality, a lot of collaborations. Santana, Los lobos, Bonnie Rait.. etc.. The album has the the type of production where everything sounds apparently perfect. Compared to early blues, it is such a contrast. Huge respect for JLH on his 70 having the stamina and will to go for this album.

This is #day243 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... I used to play blues records when I worked at a record store here in Lviv. There was something about putting on some blues, especially on a Sunday morning. It felt like there was nothing better than a moaning guy pouring his heart out in the quiet of the city. I think some early John Lee Hooker was one of those guys I'd spin. Listening to The Healer, though, I have to admit, I'm not that big of a fan of electric blues. I get to prefer the more acoustic, one-man-band kind of sound. It feels like the full-band or collaboration approach somehow takes away from the essence of blues—maybe it even turns sadness into something to celebrate. Just thinking out loud. For now, this is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day244.

I love blues . It’s like if a train could sing and it was beautiful

V enjoyable

Perfectly good, though something that never went beyond background music for me.

This is one of the ones I have a little trouble with being on this list. Without a doubt it's a very good record, great to hear a blues legend doing his thing late in his life and the collabs are fun. But at the end of the day, it's a retro throwback sort of album, not something that was current, genre pushing, innovative, inspirational, etc. So its place in music history and influence get low marks from me. But I like the sound and the way it feels a lot so it gets a good score. If I had more room to work with, probably a 7.5.

The guitar is timeless and so is John lee’s style. What isn’t timeless is the “Sade-esque” 90s tones of some of these tracks. It’s great to see distinguished collaborators on this album, I always love some Bonnie Raitt, but there isn’t enough of that John Lee Hooker and his guitar for me.

blah 2.5

First song came with a side of cheese. The song with Canned Heat was great. Last track on the album was a stunner, loved it. Was going to give it 2-stars, but something about the last track hooked me.

I’m not usually a fan of collab albums but this one is amazing. John Lee Hooker makes feeling bad feel good. I could listen to his voice all day.

sounds like something my dad would've liked, but really not for me too 80s in all the wrong ways, though I always appreciate Carlos Santana killing in (either on guitar or at 1B)

I guess the telltale sign was I favored the songs that featured others (Santana, Bonny Raitt) that I like and could not get into the more bluesy JLH solo songs.

Very into this vibe and the cameos (yes to anything Bonnie Raitt). Listened to it a few times and thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

I liked a few for sure, but it was very inconsistent. Hard to give a rating to the album as a whole because it was so disjointed.

as I’ve gotten older, i've begun to understand the desire that aging artists have to round up all their famous friends and make these cameo orgies - unfortunately they're almost always lame ass snoozefests like this fuckin thing

perhaps the definition of out of date. I think if you asked someone who knows this guys work they would say ''that album, he's got way better'', which I have no doubt that his work in the late 50s and 60s was much better. I at first thought (from the first song) it would be the sort of adaptation like Miles Davis hardcore jazz to jazz fusion, but its not that at all, lots of these sound like they could be from the 50s. Half of these songs are just him repeating the same phrases over a generic rock'n'roll/ ballad type beat. Favourite songs: pretty much none, maybe the last one. overall around 3/10

6.5/10

Blues legend. Great blues guitarist, and singer.

2.5

снова причитаю что не понимаю блюз, снова одни и те же ноты. в целом вроде приятно слушать, но где выводы?

Nisam sto posto siguran ali ako pola ovih pisama nije bilo u nekom b trileru s kraja osamdesetih di sredovječni detektiv alkoholičar susreće upola mlađu famme fatale negdi na jugu nisu ništa napravili 😃btw prilično sam siguran da su naslovnu stvar st German semplirali na so flute

Bueno

A classic, if you like John Lee Hooker

Yk for my first primarily blues album it did sorta disappoint me. The music wasn’t bad it was just such a SLEEPER of an album bored me out my mind. I’m literally so thankful this isn’t over an hour cuz I would be FIGHTING for my life. But it’s not all bad John’s vocals could put me to sleep that’s how calming his voice and it all here for it. Now I can’t say I’m the biggest fan but he’s pretty talented with fast pace high energy songs transitioning too slow lullaby type songs rly well. Overall nothing special just a solid project that I won’t return too😂 6.5/10 3.2/5

Decent blues album. I didn't mind listening to it, but not something I'd likely return to. 3/5

Classic Blues by a legend. Lots of collaborations with other great Blues artists. What's not to like?

This album gets better once you finish all of the collaborations. They are fine, but nothing I would choose to listen to again over other blues offerings. Favorites were My Dream and No Substitutes.

Good sound. Solid despite being a bit uneven.