John Metzger, musicbox-online.com:
In June 2001, at the time of his death at the ripe old age of 83, John
Lee Hooker had been recording material for a new album. Much like his
1989 comeback outing The Healer — as well as everything he released in
the intervening years — the collection, which appropriately is titled
Face to Face, was designed to pair Hooker with a plethora of special
guests. Still, it was far from complete, and after his passing it took
over two years to put the finishing touches upon the project.
It’s certainly true that most posthumously completed albums of this
sort wind up sounding forced, and the "collaborations" frequently feel
disconnected and out of place. In other words, there are plenty of
places where Face to Face seriously could have gone astray, but credit
must be given to his daughter Zakiya Hooker and producer Ollan
Christopher Bell, who took painstaking efforts to keep the late
bluesman’s voice and vision intact, turning the song cycle into what
undoubtedly is the must- have blues album of the year.
In fact, Face to Face actually works better than any of Hooker’s recent
celebrity-studded outings. Though the all-star cast of Jack Casady,
Johnnie Johnson, George Thorogood, Tony Saunders, Warren Haynes, Dickey
Betts, Elvin Bishop, Johnny Winter, and Van Morrison combines its
efforts to flavor Hooker’s songs, its collective contributions are
wholly unobtrusive. It could be anyone adding the exquisite guitar,
bass, and keyboard accompaniments to the album’s 15 tracks; that they
happen to be such well-known performers merely makes the album
marketable on a broader scale. Rather than undermine the proceedings,
the guests largely lurk in the shadows, and as a result, the
arrangements perfectly reflect the spirit of Hooker’s decades-long
career, allowing the focus to remain exactly where it should — on one
of the biggest influences in blues and rock history.
Ever since he made a name for himself in Detroit in the 1940s by
redefining the blues, Hooker’s droning, single-chord vamps have never
sounded anywhere near as drab as one might expect. Instead, they are
extraordinarily versatile and sit quite comfortably in whatever context
they happen to be placed. Whether performed solo or surrounded by a
full band, whether relayed with a driving rock beat or as a funereal
back porch moan, what consistently brings his songs to life is his
passionately compelling delivery. Quite frankly, no one sings the blues
like John Lee Hooker, and his unique, soul-stirring expressions burn
brighter than ever on Face to Face as he revisits some old chestnuts
and crafts a few new ones. Though each song explores the blues from a
variety of vastly different perspectives, all are held together by his
singularly signature style as well as his peerlessly emotive and
captivating growl. Through his gruff vocals, he manages to convey the
naked emotion of a man rubbed raw by the dark roads of life, but he
also fills them with the rough ’n‘ tough bravado that is a necessity
for surviving the desolate byways of the Deep South where he grew up.
Whether succumbing to the groove of Funky Mabel, wallowing in the
self-pity of It Serves Me Right to Suffer, getting positively soulful
on Loving People, or lamenting love on Six Page Letter, John Lee Hooker
proves time and again why he was one-of-a-kind. Indeed, it would be a
simple matter to dismiss Face to Face as yet another effort that
surrounds a legend with an array of special guests, or worse, one that
tries to capitalize upon his death. However, it’s neither of those
things. It’s simply an awe- inspiring final bow that finds Hooker
gracefully joining that great gig in the sky and loving every minute of
it.
Personnel:
John Lee Hooker - vocals, guitar
Warren Haynes - slide guitar
Dean Moore - saxophone
Zakiya Hooker - vocals
Tracks:
1. Big Road
2. Dimples
3. Loving People
4. Face To Face
5. Funky Mabel
6. It Serves Me Right To Suffer
7. Up And Down
8. Mad Man Blues
9. Six Page Letter
10. Stop Jivin' Me
11. Mean Mean World
12. Turn Over A New Leaf
13. Wednesday Evening Blues
14. Boogie Chillen'
15. Rock These Blues Away
MP3 ~ 320Kbps ~ RS.com ~ 92mb + 74mb ~ Covers
http://rapidshare.com/files/45912521/jlh418f2fa.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/45903979/jlh418f2fb.rar