Editor's info:

Most of all, it seemed, John Lee Hooker enjoyed communicating. �Oh, I love people,� he told me during the summer he made The Best of Of Friends. �I�m a kind-hearted person, and I go out of my way to help people. Friendship is the best thing in life.� And friends, it turns out, is are exactly what this album celebrates. Hooker was 80 81 when he anthologized his recent work and cut new tracks for The Best of Of Friends, creating a spectacular finish to the most prolific recording career in blues history.

Songs from 1988�s The Healer featured John Lee alongside longtime pals Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, and Robert Cray. �The Healer,� powered by Santana�s signature chord changes and poignant guitar solo, became an FM hit, bringing the blues man renewed fortune and fame. The song, Hooker explained, �was meant to heal people�s soul and mind. See, being able to express yourself with blues songs is a good way to let go of stress. That�s what I do. �Blues is a healer� � you play that song, and it heals your mind.� The duo reprised their hit-making formula on �Chill Out,� the title track of Hooker�s 1993 album.

Bonnie Raitt graces a sexy remake of 1959�s �I�m in In the The Mood,� providing teasing vocal interplay and slithery slide guitar. �Oh, I love Bonnie Raitt�s slide,� Hooker enthused. �She�s one of the best slide players I ever heard. She�s one of the most unique ladies I ever seen. I love her voice, I love that style of guitar.� The stripped-down �Baby Lee� spotlights Robert Cray and band at their hip-shakin� best.

By contrast, organist Booker T. Jones imparts a subdued, sanctified feel to �I Cover the The Waterfront.� �I think that�s some .......
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