John Lee Hooker Face To Face CD

FACE TO FACE is the last album John Lee Hooker recorded before his death on June 21, 2001.

Ruth Davies (upright bass); Marlon Green (drums).

Includes liner notes by Zakiya Hooker.

Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocals, guitar); Van Morrison, Zakiya Hooker (vocals); Anthony Cook (guitar, synthesizer); George Thorogood, Elvin Bishop, Dickey Betts (guitar); Warren Haynes (slide guitar); Dean Moore (saxophone);

Producers: Ollan Christopher Bell, Ror Rogers, Mike Kappus.

Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocals, guitar); Ron Thompson (guitar, organ); Dickey Betts, Elvin Bishop, Robert "Red Top" Young, Anthony Cook, George Thorogood, Billy Friday Johnson (guitar); Johnny Winter, Warren Haynes (slide guitar); Dean McKinney Moore (saxophone); Dan Zemelman (piano); Jim Pugh, Tony Saunders (organ); Joe Thomas , Ruth Davies (upright bass); Kevin Williams , Marlon Green, Kevin Hayes , Scott Mathews, Bowen Brown (drums); Terrance Kelly, Tina Bryant, Gary Benson (background vocals).

Liner Note Author: Zakiya Hooker.

Recording information: Boom Boom, Oakland, CA; Fantasy, Berkeley, CA; Magic Castle Studios, Hercules, CA; OTR Studios, Belmont, CA; Planet 2 Planet, New York, NY; Russian Hill, San Francisco, CA; Sweet A, Sarasota, FL; The Annex, Menlo Park, CA; The Record Plant, Sausalito, CA.

Arranger: Ollan Christopher Bell.

Final Recordings, Vol. 1: Face to Face combines previously released material from John Lee Hooker with unfinished tracks he was working on before he died. Compiled by the estate of Hooker, with his daughter Zakiya at the helm, the unreleased material leans heavily toward soul-blues united with Hooker's patented electric Delta boogie. "Loving People," "Funky Mabel," "Six Page Letter" (a ballad with synth strings), and "Rock These Blues Away" are highlights. Zakiya Hooker takes the spotlight on "Mean Mean World," singing lead alongside her father, and the acoustic "Wednesday Evening Blues" features George Thorogood on guitar. Hooker staples "Dimples," "It Serves Me Right to Suffer," "Mad Man Blues," and "Boogie Chillen" also make their perennial appearances. While there are no real surprises here, Face to Face still sounds great and is recommended alongside John Lee's last official releases, Chill Out and Don't Look Back, both on Pointblank. ~ Al CampbellQ (1/04, p.116) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[The album] wrests the focus away from the star guests that littered Hooker's '90s work and back onto the man himself."
Living Blues (p.62) - "[T]he music's raw authenticity elevates this disc to a higher plateau."