Reviews (page 6 of 8)
Second half is infinitely better than the watered down blue in the first half he was 73 when this was recorded!
HL: “I’m in the Mood”, “That’s Alright”, “No Substitute” I like how Hooker gets the last couple songs to himself. The roster of all-stars is mostly enjoyable, I think some of them could have contributed more- except in cases like the title track where the scales tip in the opposite record & it feels like a Santana album. Charlie Musselwhite is a welcome guest (I saw him live a while back with Ben Harper) November 25, 2022
Some of the production here doesn't fit well with the traditionally blues vibe
Wel relaxed bluesje
Solid blues and the collaborations were cool but didn't quite pull me in enough to round up to 4 stars
This had a fun bluesy feel to it but ultimately it wasn't overly exciting. Relaxing listen but nothing groundbreaking.
I enjoyed the bluesy laid back atmosphere of the album. Nothing terribly grabbed me, but was nice enough to listen to.
not really my thing
I did a research project on John Lee Hooker in high school, so I have a soft spot for him. He is an amazing guitarist and his collabs on this album are with some amazing blues musicians. His few solo tracks on here are less exciting.
There's something about blues that just makes me thing of sitting outside, swatting the mosquitos away, and drinking a beer while the smoker is rolling and a big old pork butt is becoming pull apart tender. I don't know why blues music makes me feel this way, but it does, every time. This album is just fine, though. Started off fairly strong, but there was a bit towards the end where I got a little bit more bored than I thought I should have.
With arms outstretched like a ghost from blues' past, John Lee Hooker gets into the collaborative spirit with The Healer. While some collabs work more than others, this album ultimately gets the job done in letting Hooker do what he does best, which is demonstrating the blues and allowing his legendary talent to shine through. Favorites: I'm in the Mood, Baby Lee, Think Twice Before You Go, Sally Mae, Rockin' Chair, My Dream.
john lee hooker is great; why is a "___ and friends" cash-in record on this list?
Decent listen. The first couple songs with Carlos Santana and Bonnie Raitt sound a bit phoned in, but I'm glad this album made John Lee Hooker enough money to be comfortable. The rest of the album picks up a bit, but Concert at Newport is the more essential album.
cute
T3B 1. The Healer 2. Sally Mae 3. Cuttin’ Out What a really good jivin’ album to listen to at work. Hard 3!
It's ok but I prefer some older JLH music.
Decent blues album
5/10 solid
Solid good fun album There is lots of things i dont like about this album and I think there are to many collaborations on it... But nothing stops the blues baby
I appreciate blues artists but not my style. Within genres I understand there is going to be some similarities but I can't for the life of me distinguish between blues songs and for that reason I can't get into it.
Oh shit someone let the 80s get a hold of the blues, someone get that out of its mouth before someone gets hurt.
Some outstanding guitar work. on this album....especially the Santana collaboration....but the worst thing about this is Hooker's singing.....not his best stuff, IMHO
Average
3.5
Fine, just not my kind of blues
10/03/22 Fairly good at the start. Middle songs kinda mashed together. My dream and no substitute were amazing to me.
Ikkje så ille som eg frykta
Von allen John Lee Hooker-Platten ausgerechnet The Healer…Aber egal. John Lee Hooker geht immer. War immer gut, wird immer gut sein. Spielt immer das gleiche, das aber spielt keiner wie er.
Alright, not really my thing
3.5/5 Loved it ! First album of John Lee Hooker I listened to ever. The variety in the songs is not very big, but for some reason it doesn’t matter. Every song has its own thing and I just kept listening. I have to listen to it again to find my favourites on this album.
First blues I quite like it
sounds like a bbq w/ a special guests roster to match
Some good sound. Started to drag near the end.
More like 3.5, fun to listen to. Felt like I could have been in Mississippi on a hot, summer evening.
Some good riffs, but overall most of the songs blended together.
Not the best John Lee Hooker that I have heard, but you can see glimpses of the man shining through.
Favourite song: Sally Mae One for the car: I’m in the mood One for Karaoke: My Dream Could see myself drinking a whisky in the French Quarter of New Orleans to this
simple old time folk-blues but it is pretty nice
3/5 Cool blues album, but kinda dragged and was a little empty feeling in parts. Not bad by any means, just not that good.
Good blues album
Well it's Johnny Lee Hooker, so some quality here, but also nothing much grabbed me. It's alright.
Blues lentillo. Ni fu ni fa.
Blues.
Kinda nameless blues - not bad, not good, just existed. There are a kazillion guests on it but tbh I didn't notice. Couldn't say I hated it, but I'll never listen to this again. 3/5.
This was a good but ultimately unsurprising blues album.
Loved the start of the album. Second blues album I've got from this and did really enjoy it
2/10, 20%
Muy tranquilo de escuchar con una guitarra monocorde y voz grave. Sin duda, para entusiastas del género
Wasn't this the big thing around that time, to take a well-known but maybe not as popular as they used to be artist and pair them with current artists? But for all the bells and whistles, my favorite tracks were the last three that were mostly just John Lee Hooker alone. My Dream was the one that most hooked me when I first listened. Of the tracks with guests, I'm in the Mood with Bonnie Raitt was probably my favorite. Cuttin' Out (w/ Canned Heat) was also pretty good. I thought The Healer (with Santana) sounded like they pulled from every 80s soft rock cliche. Enjoyable enough listen, but I don't see myself returning to it.
Its fine
It’s not horrible because it’s Tony Lee Hooker an amazing guests. But seems like a very past his prime album to put on here
Just okay. Would be interested in his earlier work.
very decent blue(rock) album
Didn't mind this - though agree with other reviewers wondering whether this could be seen to be a 'watered down' record, with perhaps other earlier tracks having a stronger claim to inclusion
Col.laboracions de primer nivell en una mena d'auto-homenatge a un dels grans del blues. El disc, però no destaca especialment. Blues rock de qualitat amb la guitarra i veu tan característiques del protagonista. Res per perdre la són
Pretty good
Blues
I preferred the last few tracks of the “true” Blues. Once again I wish I could give this album a rating of 3.5.
I gave this three play throughs and it never really landed for me, but that might just be a question of mood... Fave track - "Cullin Out", maybe? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Decent jam album
un blues sabroso, suave, se disfruta de la guitarrita. las rolas más movidillas no llegan a ser demasiado, se mantiene como un buen rock and roll de los viejitos no me encanta, no es algo que escucharía casualmente, pero no es nada malo
Fun album will have to give it another listen.
Nothing really hooked me. Solid guitar work but won't revisit
Pretty dirty blues. I have limited patience for this kinda music. Prefer something with a little more pep. Hard to knock the guitar work though, esp. in the early tracks.
Good blues album
Blues honestly is not my favorite genre and I know I completely miss the point of it. I can tell these folks were vibing and the quality was good, but I was left feeling bored.
yes
The chill atmosphere is really nice
Bored me 2 Got pretty chill around halfway though Not bad 3
pleasant and well-produced but not very exciting
Decent blues not something I can really get behind though
Enjoyable music... emotion laden blues with strong guitar and harmonica. The lyrics and voice don't do a lot for me... it seems a very small vocabulary with lots of saying the same thing over and over again (more than with most songs). Nice variety.
The blues, but make it 80's! Good thing I love both. Unexpected Bonnie Raitt is never, ever, a bad thing.
Good ol revival blues.
Este es un disco para escuchar en una tarde lluviosa. Me gusta el blues rabioso y urgente, pero también puedo disfrutar de uno más acompasado, paciente, meditativo, como el de este disco.
hell of a guitar player and I really enjoyed the first track with santana
3.2 - good blues, but didn’t really standout in the genre to me (although not my deepest/biggest affinity for this type of music)
3/5
Blues lentillo. Ni fu ni fa.
3, very nice
Bit backgroundy
jpense il a du pécho un max
The First song was just ok. I like the start to the 2nd one so far. Easy to listen too and enjoyable. Definitely a Blues Jam!
Interesting, not an unpleasant listening experience.
How is this on the list????? JLH must have done a better album than this !?
Guys, I think his baby left him. The collaborations in the first half are really quite dull and mar the album. But unleash Hooker solo at the end of the record and there’s something special he creates with voice and guitar, slowly drawing you in to the blues. It’s really rather beautiful.
Back half of this one made a much stronger impression than the front half, although the opener with Santana was pretty cool. My Dream specifically resonated with me. Such strong emotion on this one. Hooker was in his 70’s when he made this record. Makes you think about what people you’ll miss and the moments gone by that you’ll reflect on at that age.
Not my favourite Hooker record but still good
A nice blues mix, with some songs definitely rising above the rest (e.g., the Santana collaboration).
I want to like this more. It's got lots of soul. Everything is recorded and mixed well. It sounds like it was a really fun record to make. Unfortunately, the blues just makes me snooze. I know it's not an album trying to break barriers; it's a style that's been done a million times before, but only occasionally has it been done this well. I can appreciate how good it is even if it's not my thing. The Los Lobos track is a good old-time rock and roll song that kicks in at the right time and brings some much-needed energy to the mix.
40 minutes of generic blues music. I'm indifferent towards this one.
Good music but like all blues, every song sounded the same when listening in the background
Очень приятная гитара.
You can tell Mr Hooker is starting to get up there in his age upon release of this album. While he is surround by Allstars , I would not choose this particular album for the list. There are many better in his catalog. I believe this one was a miss. He still gets 3 stars because he is John Lee Hooker.
Definitely worth a listen. High-quality blues. Blues is a respectable genre The song with Santana had epic guitar, as one would expect
Unexceptional blues rock
Buen disco
JLH was 73 when h recorded this. Wow. The late 80's production brings out the best of the blues guitar. It's a little trudge laden in places, but that's the blues, innit.
Good blues, but I don't care for blues
Really enjoying the more up-tempo songs at the start of this album, but it does drop off from Sally Mae onwards as it slows down a lot. Absolutely amazing musicians and great skill in this, I'm just not blown away in the 2nd half.
2022.01.27
Decent blues album. Haven’t listened to John Lee hooker much but this felt like him at the tail end of his career. The guitar playing was solid and the songs were very typical bluesy. 5.6/10
That's Alright: 0/10 for relationship advice Enjoyed this, got a wee bit lost in the middle but the last two songs were very pretty
Enjoyed this one, some vibey songs, especially towards the start of the album. I did get a bit bored as it went on though.
This was inoffensive yet plain porridge.
Nothing much stuck with me here, but there were immaculate blues vibes peppered across the entire tracklist. Some of the guitar playing was absolutely filthy and the range of collaborations was great, with the featured artists bringing a slightly different flavour to each of their tracks before a much more subdued and emotional closing run
Pa dobro. Nis special ali jako slušljivo. Santana uvijek dobrodošao
Ma jazz album, pozadinski, nimalo loš. Just like that.
Seems to be dialling it in, not sure why i had to listen to that particular album before i die
Haven't heard it all yet but so far so good
Not too sure, no sparks but finished it any way.
Soulin
Awesome album
Blues!
I’m far impressed with his previous work. This album was a far departure in style and it doesn’t work well stylistically.
kunnon hyvää letkeetä blues meininkiä, ebin santana :D ehkä en kehtaa myöntää että tykkäsin niin paljon että ansaitsis neljä tähteä, mutta 3.5 ainakin.
Hyvin toimii ja herätti janon kuunnella enemmänkin bluesia.
ihan kivaa bluesia. jotenkin vähän valui toisesta korvasta ulos, ei jääny kovinkaan voimakkaasti mieleen.
lovely voice, excellent guitar, lovely jazz
hey do you guys like the blues
Pretty good blues album
Another name that I am familiar with but haven't really listened to. Decent blues album.
Okay-ish blues.
Chilled
Good blues. 3.0/5
Chill blues album. Songs become very repetitive and samey as it goes on. There's a smoky, magical sound to some of the tracks which feels good and Hooker's voice is soft and smooth and perfect for this kind of music, but it's just too much of the same.
While initially frightened by those healing hands (looks like babadook) this album was anything but scary. Classic blues in the best way with Santana even joining in the fun. Enjoyed this one!
John Lee Hooker is forever Aces in my book for his appearance in The Blues Brothers alone. I can't help but think this isn't the John Lee Hooker album that should be on the list to represent his greatness. He's a bit overshadowed here by the likes of Bonnie Raitt (who was experiencing something of a career renaissance at the time) and George Thorogood. And he's not doing himself any favors hanging out with Carlos Santana. But you've got to have some Hooker on this list. I just wish the album had "Boom Boom".
Mnie, tranca.
Good, not my style.
Pretty good blues album with some big names. Don't care for it enough to relisten.
Weird. Sounds like it’s music for guys that wear lots of rings.
Not bad.
I read that this got Hooker the recognition he deserved his whole life, got him a Grammy, and the royalties allowed him to live his late life in relative comfort. Those are great things, but for the little I know of his other music, this doesn't show why he was great. The Bonnie Raitt song and the tracks near the end after he dropped the collabs were the best, and getting there.
Nice sound. Groovy, Rock, Good background music.
Enjoyed this more than expected, I was putting if off but the it didn’t bore me like blues has a tendency to do.
Schön, aber so richtig Hooker hör ich nicht raus…
I think this album is decent, but I just didn’t enjoy it. His voice is just too monotonous and distorted. I’m not into it.
This is fun actually
Good soulful blues this is. Enjoyed the title track a lot, kinda got bored in the end, but glad I listened
As much as I really wanted to like this one, I mostly found it too repetitive for my taste. I do like his voice and can hear the good guitar playing, but I didn't really enjoy listening to it all that much.
JLH is a legend. This album is one of his better latter albums. Still a little too polished.
I like this and appreciate it for the soulful blues that is is, but it doesn't excite me particularly.
Man, I hope this is not the only John Lee Hooker album on this list... It's alright but I would much rather listen to an earlier record of his without all the guests.
John Lee Hooker's shtick at this point feels a bit old, not bad but not sure any new material does much for me.
Pretty cool. Very much like Gil Scott Heron crossed with Ali Farka Toure. Santana guitar mixed in too. Hard to rate, not a genre I'd regularly go back to but I do seem to have a soft/spot for blues/Country vibes from time to time. Seems like the quality of music deserves more than a 3,but I think Il give it a 3 just cos I'm not sure if it's quite a 4 for me personally. 3
It’s insanely “cool” in parts
Liked a few songs. Some good star power here
Blues yes
Fine? I'm sure Hooker has better albums that could have been included here
Good blues album.
Bello ma nn penso il migliore
Puro blues
Ok steady blues...good for the right move and mood
Ik herken meteen Carlos Santana in het eerste nummer, dat sowieso erg bekend klinkt. Vervolgens ook een bekende damesstem (Bonnie Raitt) in het tweede nummer. Dit is heerlijk bluesmateriaal, al had ik wat meer up-tempo willen hebben voor de vrijdag, laatste dag van de week. Mark zal blij zijn, want van hem leerde ik gisteren Stevie Ray Vaughan kennen, dus vast een enorme liefhebber van het genre. Helaas ook bij dit blues-album is dat alle liedjes snel op elkaar beginnen te lijken. Uiteraard kun je dan naar de tekst gaan luisteren, maar het blijft muziek he, geen boek. Voor mij een prima album, niks mis mee. Favoriet blijft titelsong "The Healer". Ik ga nog een nachtje (update: weekendje) slapen over het aantal sterren.
Fijne sound, aantal herkenbare tracks. Niet genoeg om mijn aandacht hele album vast te houden.
Redelijk album, beetje te commercieel naar mijn smaak en vooral een weinig origineel. Kan er verder goed naar luisteren, vooral de eerste twee nummers uiteraard, maar geen hoogvlieger
The title track might be my least favorite, but enjoyed most the others.
R&B de abuelos pero no en un mal sentido
Chill. Ok
Smooth easy listening
Blues is the one genre I can’t get super excited about but this one was nice
The first track is genuinely a little bit healing... nice.
Track 1 and 2 are goat, blues bangers all round.
-Great intro and guitar in general in "The Healer" -Great of it wasn't too exciting
Great Blues.
Mixed feelings about this one. It's so clearly a master at work, collaborating with other superstars. Yet this album has somehow failed to draw me in. I'd be into it in one moment, then it would fade to background music the next.
Cool 90s rap with some darker undertones
Good old blues.
Liked this. Thought the collaborations brought something a bit more to the album.
Etwas frickelig, ich mag die großen Gitarrenhelden. Müsste das aber noch Mal in Ruhe hören...
Solider Blues und zum Teil echt schicke Solis. Ich möchte auch die rauchige Stimme. Außerdem bedeutend passender zu meinem Hörrythmus (morgens nach dem Aufstehen).
i couldn't be arsed with all the roadhouse blues stuff, its just cheesy, even if he was the guy that came up with it. the slow blues towards the end, now some of that was excellent.
Thought this was excellent. Enjoyed the guitar playing throughout.
Alright but not amazing
Unexpected treat. Nice smooth music, never heard of this guy before.
Some nice collaborations > I liked the Bonnie R song and Carlos' guitar didn't need an introduction. A lot less edge here than on earlier Johny Lee material. Due to his age, I'm sure, & the slick production. A bit smooth for me.
3 ruhig und nett
Just eh.
Liked it a lot, but I rarely feel in the mood for the blues.
Typically classic blues stuff doesn't do it for me, but this one's pretty good. I like the different featured guests, so sometimes a little too much 80s glossy sheen creeps in.
Solid blues jams. The first track blew me away and I was like “holy shit he sounds like Santana”.... the track just featured Santana tho lol
5.5/10 FT: I'm in the mood
6/23 Disco blues. Standout Tracks: The Healer, Cuttin' Out, Sally Mae
Es un buen álbum de blues de casi los 90s y nada más. No entendí por qué está en esta lista realmente. 4/10
Not for me
Inte min grej.
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
Boring
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
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.
This album is very boring. It was a chore and three quarters.
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
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.
It's okay I suppose
Review - a blues legends album from the early '90s? Not so good. Score - 4/10 Need to listen? NO
I found this to be rather boring. Repetitive. Sleepy. There has to be a better representation of the blues.
This is a bit too House of Blues for me
2,5 Highlights: The Healer, I'm In The Mood
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
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.
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
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.
The healer was Len Houmous’ nickname for his 23rd wife 2.2 3/10 Baby Lee
🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑 (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
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
Pretty nice background music and sounds much older than it is but the more it went on the more boring it got.
Couple of good tunes, interesting collaborators. Kinda boring.
++: 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
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
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
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.
Didn’t do it for me
I was in a bad mood today and it didn't bring me out of it lol
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.
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.
There’s like a subgenre of Blues that just isn’t for me. This is that subgenre.
Siinä oli bluesia ja siinä oli paikoin Santanaa
I dislike collaborations like this
2.5
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
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.
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?
It did not stand out but was an ok album
It's good, for what it is, but I don't find it super interesting. A high two but not because i dislike it
Not my kind of blues. Don't like the unsteady rhythm. if, than slow.
This is supposed to be blues? Sounds like tacky, pseudo-tribal 80s production. It was fine, nothing I needed to listen to. 2*
Un pedazo de embole
extremely overproduced
Kind of wild that this is the blues representation on this list. No Buddy Guy, SRV, Albert King. Hooker is no doubt a legend, but this record feels pretty watered down and commercialized. Honestly verging on boring. As a blues lover, this one was a tough listen honestly. So many better records to put on here, and this one just feels so phoned in and inauthentic.
Ok
Liked the bluesy vibe, just sort of whatever
Starts off strong but quickly becomes the same song on repeat. Not bad, just not much I’d consider listening to again
Blues for middle class white people. But shout out to Hooker for getting that bag. Definitely deserved.
This sounds like a more boring version of "Texas Flood" by Stevie Ray Vaughan. Maybe this is just what blues sounded like during this decade. Regardless, "Texas Flood" at least had some energy in its riffs and vocals, which is severely lacking in this album.
Some cool features but it felt like pretty standard blues for the most part. It got worse as it went on. Rating: 1.7
I wonder what prompted the creators of this list to include this record by a blues legend WAY out of his prime. If we're going to go with legends way out of their prime, we've got to go with Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders' Promises, right?
first time listening to this. I'm not huge into blues - much prefer to experience live than to listen to studio recordings. I'm not familiar with the studio recordings of John Lee Hooker, but I can't imagine that this LP is his definitive album or even in the top 5. you can tell this was recorded in the late '80s -- awful studio sheen and everything feels sterilized within an inch of its life. fun fact -- John Lee Hooker played his first live gigs at a now-closed bar a couple blocks from my house in Detroit (Apex Bar). apparently his song "Boom Boom" was written about the doorman at the bar.
It’s okay
Snoozefest. Of all the possible John Lee Hooker albums to put on the list, why this one? There's no vitality to any of the collaborations, despite the pedigree of the collaborators. It's not terrible enough for 1 star, but I can't go higher than 2 stars.
This was enjoyable but repetitive. This was enjoyable but repetitive. This was enjoyable but repetitive. This was enjoyable but repetitive. See how annoying repetition can be? On an initial listen, this definitely has a bit of a late 80s bent to it which I kind of dug. However, I found a good amount of these songs were pretty repetitive, going on a minute or two longer than they should. Truth be told, I would rather listen to Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Mark Knopfler, and even John Hyatt and some others than this. It's ok. Not great.
A few days ago, I had Muddy Waters' Hard Again here on this list. As The Healer, Hard Again was a later album by that artist, and that was a real Blues album. This one is a much more modernized, but also soft-washed version of Blues, and not to its benefit.
This feels like a benefit album to help John make some cash later in life which I fully support. That being said, I didn't need to hear it.
Not a fan of blues in generally, but i can be swayed occasionally. Not this time though - this album, the production, the featured artists (Bonnie Raitt a notable exception) and the arrangements all leave me cold - it's a 5 star for a guitar shop employee I'm sure, but a 2 from me.
John Lee Hooker was a widely influential blues musician and he had plenty of great 60s and 70s albums. This late 80s album with other guest stars was commercially succesful but not as great and influential as many of his previous releases. The 2 star goes to the fact that the wrong album was chosen, not for the artist itself.
I really like Blues. I think I would like other albums by John Lee Hooker, but not this one.
Not even Santana could save the blues for me, Hooker's style is just too droning for my taste. He caught my attention on the few times he channeled Isaac Hayes and turned up the funk a bit, but outside of that the album is wholly unremarkable. Standouts: Cuttin' Out • That's Alright
The Healer by John Lee Hooker is a more modern take on Blues by a Blues legend. I didnt enjoy this album, After the first track I felt I was on track to give me third 1/5 in a week. The album however did pick up and had some nice moments like Rockin chair and My dream. The Healer is a good intro into the blues music genre before digging deep into the history of earlier artists and albums. As a blues Alum in its own right I feel the colaborations made this more mainstream than John Lee Hooker would have wanted it and made it a very soft album. They clearly wanted this record to do commercially well. Favourite track: Rockin Chair is a more traditional blues number. I really enjoyed it. Least favourite track:I found the Healer title track to be one of the most boring songs I have ever heard. Album artwork: Strong album cover
Ik hou wel van blues maar dit is het niet. Veel matige collabs en niets wat er echt uit springt.
De blues heeft mij helaas niet geheald, ik had al een slecht voorgevoel toen ik t eerste nummer hoorde met Carlos Santana. T album bevat boomer-muziek in de slechte zin van het woord. Erg voorspelbaar en oninteressant. Wel credits voor Bonnie Raitt, vind haar wel vet, John Lee hooker heeft ook wel een goede stem. Verder mag dit album van de lijst. Oja, lelijke albumhoes
meh, it’s cool but not my style
I don’t like the blues, but still I don’t get why JLH’s only album on the list is one full of collaborations, and not one of his original music. I wouldn’t like it anyway, just questioning the list. As I thought, I didn’t like this one bit, except for the track with Bonnie Raitt, which was decent. The worst tracks were, ironically, the last ones where he played alone.
I don’t actually think its that bad but it’s not for me
Blues can be incredibly moving, soulful, touching, inventive, and emotive. It can also be humdrum, run of the mill, basic and fun. This is the second. It's entertaining but it's not engaging in any other way besides text book blues.
I wanted to like it, but frankly, it was boring
Too spiritual for me
Just really boring. Blues gives big divorced dad vibes.
Enjoyable but unsure if I’ll visit again.
I didn’t enjoy this.
I wasn’t in the mood for this I guess. I usually like blues but I wasn’t feeling this
Not my style, was fine.
This album is incredibly soulful, and also quite boring. I feel guilty for saying that, but I didn't find it exciting at all. The song My Dream was wonderful. Outside of that, though, I didn't find a lot to like here. Too monotonous for me. I feel like a stupid asshole for this review, but I gotta speak my truth!
Starts badly with the very 80s The Healer with Santana. It's got some good bits, but John Lee Hooker must have better candidates for this list than this album!
OK. 2/5
Like a dialed down, slower Santana. Just fine. Will not revisit
What I have learned in my journey of listening to Blues music is, I really only like it in 2 ways. 1. Live albums 2. Blues fusion. This is neither, and because of that, its not really my thing.
It’s too commercial for me. Not a fan of blues rock. And there is better out there anyway.
This album has a great ensemble of guests, but I was bored by it. This style of music doesn't get me going. 2
I know John Lee Hooker is an iconic bluesman, but I struggled to stay interested in this one. Though I liked his descending vocal riffs on his songs,.(that seemed pretty effortless for him) they started to feel a bit repetitive and some of the songs were a little too talk/singy for me.
John Lee Hooker rules but this wasn't great.
Never trust an art major's math, but I hope John Lee Hooker got paid well at 77 years old for this album. He'd be gone from the earth 12 years later. JLH should be celebrated for his contributions to music well before this concept record (but I'm too lazy to look up if another record is in this list). I have to say, it's a little uneven in places but that's expected from the conceit of pairing Hooker with different artists/stars across the songs selected for the album. Overall, though, the listen ain't bad.
не зашло.
incredibly boring blues?
So John Lee Hooker is a fucking beast, but this album turns him into a candy ass. You know something is wrong when Thorogood is the best pairing, but the title track with Santana is an abomination.
It's okay. Maybe I don't actually like the Blues, but just like BB King?
j’avoue j’ai trouve ça fade
Some cheese and some meh on here (see the first two tracks). Suffers from National Treasure syndrome where everyone wanted to work with a legend who needed a top-selling record. Late-80s early 90s style production is a little gross too. Definitely doesn't feel like essential JLH. The Los Lobos and Canned Heat tracks are standouts, tho
It was fine but probably will not listen to again
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.
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 didn't mind this but probably need more listens to appreciate. The blues don't hold a huge sway for me.
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.
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.
I guess it’s alright. Not my kind of music.
Suena bien pero es bien local para el que disfruta del blues. No me parece global.2
I totally understand the legendary status of those involved across this record, but I wasn't hooked.
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
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.