John Lee Hooker
Don't Look Back
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The importance of John Lee Hooker in postwar Blues and contemporary Blues makes it impossible to imagine a selection of Blues albums, such as BluesRoad, that wouldn't mention an album by this artist. In fact, the question is more about which album, among Hooker's dozens, should represent him here. None of his albums can be actually be considered a John Lee Hooker landmark album. "Don't Look Back" was released in 1997, and like several other albums, it features new recordings of old songs, as well as new material. In addition, it features guest star appearance by Van Morrison. The inimitable "John Lee Hooker sound" can be heard throughout the eleven tracks of the album. The faked improvisation of his guitar playing and singing hardly hide Hooker's hard-working perfectionism, and Van Morrison seems to easily adapt to the master's high expectations. Support by talented musicians such as Van Morrison give a new dimension to Hooker's most recent releases, such as "Don't Look Back" or "Hooker and Friends", that compensates the lack of thrill for the Blues, that Hooker seems to have lost during the years. Hooker can count on the biggest record companies and the best recording studios, but he still has that wonderful feeling for the music, that will never be replaced by high-tech electronics, and that makes Blues what it is. His way of playing the Blues has remained intact ; yet his new material sounds a little less spontaneous than it used to. So, his music has lost some soul and some deepness, but he remains one of the greatest Blues artists ever, and a Blues evangelist even : many people came to the Blues listening to a John Lee Hooker album. |
TRACKS
| 1. | Dimples (Hooker) - 3:59 |
| 2. | The Healing Game (Morrison) - 5:09 |
| 3. | Ain't no Big Thing (Hooker) - 5:19 |
| 4. | Don't Look Back (Hooker) - 6:41 |
| 5. | Blues Before Sunrise (Hooker) - 5:26 |
| 6. | Spellbound (Hooker) - 3:56 |
| 7. | Travellin' Blues (Hooker) - 5:35 |
| 8. | I Love You Honey (Williams) - 3:30 |
| 9. | Frisco Blues (Hooker) - 3:47 |
| 10. | Red House (Hendrix) - 4:02 |
| 11. | Rainy Day (Hooker) - 5:50 |
(Audio snippets in Windows Media format)