Burnin’

Known as the “King of the Boogie,” Mississippi-born bluesman John Lee Hooker rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. The hypnotic drone of a guitar tuned to open G, a relentless stomp and an evocative, quavering baritone made up the formula of his signature sound. With these primitive, but powerful ingredients, Hooker inspired generations of rock guitarists, altered the DNA of the blues and became an internationally renowned legend.

Recorded in a single session with drums, bass, second guitar, piano, tenor sax and baritone sax, 1962’s Burnin’ marked a departure from previous Hooker albums, where he often played with just a guitar and a piece of plywood to pound his foot on. His backing band for this Vee-Jay release includes members of the Funk Brothers, best known for being the Motown Records house band. They do an admirable job of following Hooker, one of the form’s most idiosyncratic players, wherever he leads. The album opens with the single “Boom Boom,” which has become a blues standard over the years. Music critic Charles Shaar Murray called it “the greatest pop song [Hooker] ever wrote.” About the tightest musical structure of any Hooker composition, its verses diligently adhere to the twelve-bar format over which he more often rides roughshod. And the quality doesn’t drop off after the strong opener. Instead, the album provides a cohesive and engaging listening experience that will hold you captive from beginning to end. Pure, 100-proof electric blues.