Shane’s Rock Challenge: JOHN LEE HOOKER – 1995 – Chill Out

Shane’s Rock Challenge: JOHN LEE HOOKER – 1995 – Chill Out
By Shane Pinnegar
7/10

John Lee Hooker was 78 years old when he made Chill Out, and would be the second last studio album he’d make in a career featuring over 100 records.

It wasn’t his most vibrant or resonant collection, but Chill Out did a good job of keeping him in the public consciousness during his twilight years.

There’s no denying the incredible influence of his minimalist blues – the classic On Bourbon, One Scotch & One Beer and Annie Mae are remade here, and Santana and Van Morrison make their presence known on the title track and Serves Me Right To Suffer/Syndicator respectively.

Santana had already guested on Hooker’s comeback album The Healer a few years previously, and used that guest format as a blueprint for his next few albums of collaborative hits, but here both he and Van show respect to the master and let Hooker show off his chops.

 

Category: Shane's Rock Challenge