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This being addressed, it makes one wonder why there are 13 tracks on this album when there should be only about 9 or 10. Overall it is an ok album but a little too generic even for the blues. This Album is really a great idea but unfortunately it falls a little short of what it sounds like. When I see the number 12 and above in track numbers it is usually because there are fillers that are sub-par and only there to fill up space, which was evident in some of the songs. John Lee Hooker has much better stuff than this so it is definitely missable unless you are looking to complete your John Lee Hooker collection. His playing obviously is not going to be great seeing as it is country blues but even so there are too many so songs that sound exactly the same. This is a good and a bad thing because there are some bad songs and good songs that have a similar counter part.
It was recorded in 1959 and on good stereo it will put JLH right in the room in front of you. Leading off with Black Snake, one of Hookers best, the sound quality of the recording makes this album a gem. If you like Blues done acoustic then this is a must have album. This is a great blues album from John Lee Hooker. A great example of one chord blues structure intermixed with Hookers unique vocal style.
It's a great addition to your collection. This is a great CD, you get to hear John Lee play acoustic versions of some songs, which I love.
BTW- The companion album for this would be BURNING HELL; its selections are from the same session. It is an intimate session featuring standards like "How Long", "Bottle Up and Go", as well as Hooker's first recorded take on "Tupelo", one of his all-time classics. If you like Hooker, or acoustic blues, buy this album.
It was a key change from his earlier recordings, most of which had featured Hooker on an electric guitar with his trademark reverb and stomping foot. The truth is probably somewhere in-between. In 1959, John Lee Hooker signed a one-off deal with the Riverside label to record an acoustic session of the country blues.
Remember, John Lee Hooker is always John Lee Hooker, regardless of the format. Think of it as THE COUNTRY BLUES OF JOHN LEE HOOKER Vol 2. Folk purists of the day were delighted with COUNTRY BLUES, believing Hooker had returned to his roots, leaving the "glitzy commercialism" of R&B behind.
But some Hooker fans considered COUNTRY BLUES a "betrayal" of his true sound.
His guitar wheeps. John Lee Hooker's solo. Those are all recommended. This is as moving as Lightnin' Hooker's "Autobiography in Blues" and Lonnie Johnson's "Another Night to Cry". This is a classics. John Lee Hooker's vocal is so deep.
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