Search - John Lee Hooker :: Get Back Home

Among the most prolific blues recording artists of all time, John Lee Hooker has been recorded in all manner of settings, but the best way to hear him is still the way he started: solo, just him and his guitar. Get Back Home is all--and only--John Lee, recorded one day in 1969 while he was touring Europe. He's in a studio, and he's fired up. His guitar creates deep moods, with his heavy voice filling them out, like the darkness in a night sky. "I Had a Dream Last Night" has an impromptu feel, inspiring in its lyrical spontaneity. His guitar work on "Cold Chills" approaches free jazz, though he gets there without straying far from his Mississippi Delta roots. His reworkings of popular songs are not restrained by the conventions of the originals; "Love Affair" breaks down "Sweet Home Chicago" and runs with it; his version of "Hi Heel Sneakers" could be a lesson in juke joint dancing. Lotta fun. --Robert Gordon