The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker (Remastered)

John Lee Hooker’s true love was the electric guitar, and he played it like no one else on earth. However, in 1959, acoustic so-called “country blues” was what white, authenticity-obsessed audiences wanted to hear, so that’s what Riverside wanted from Hooker when he went into the studio to record this album, released in January 1960. Rather than duet with his instrument, Hooker’s voice takes the lead here. The album’s crystalline engineering allows the listener to experience that voice as if it was whispering secrets in our ear — which is precisely the effect of “Tupelo Blues.” Captured in this proximity without competition from other instruments, we are able to savor the richness of Hooker’s voice. There were many country blues singers from this period beloved for their crusty delivery, but Hooker’s voice is dark and flowing and smooth. He was the ultimate seducer and here he uses his voice like a mist, waving it in the listener’s vicinity until we are all willingly within his clutches.