John Lee Hooker, Canned Heat - Hooker 'N Heat (2021)

When this two-LP set was initially released in January 1971, Canned Heat was back to its R&B roots, sporting slightly revised personnel. In the spring of the previous year, Larry "The Mole" Taylor (bass) and Harvey Mandel (guitar) simultaneously accepted invitations to join John Mayall's concurrent incarnation of the Bluesbreakers. This marked the return of Henry "Sunflower" Vestine (guitar) and the incorporation of Antonio "Tony" de la Barreda (bass), a highly skilled constituent of Aldolfo de la Parra (drums). Sadly, it would also be the final effort to include co-founder Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, who passed away in September 1970. Hooker 'n Heat (1971) is a low-key affair split between unaccompanied solo John Lee Hooker (guitar/vocals) tunes, collaborations between Hooker and Wilson (piano/guitar/harmonica), as well as five full-blown confabs between Hooker and Heat. The first platter focuses on Hooker's looser entries that vacillate from the relatively uninspired ramblings of "Send Me Your Pillow" and "Drifter" to the essential and guttural "Feelin' Is Gone" or spirited "Bottle Up and Go."

Tracklist
CD 1

01. Messin' With The Hook (3:23)
02. The Feelin' Is Gone (4:32)
03. Send Me A Pillow (4:48)
04. Sittin' Here Thinkin (4:07)
05. Meet Me In The Bottom (3:34)
06. Alimonia Blues (4:31)
07. Drifter (4:57)
08. You Talk Too Much (3:17)
09. Burning Hell (5:28)
10. Bottle Up And Go (2:27)

CD 2

01. The World Today (7:47)
02. I Got My Eyes On You (4:26)
03. Whiskey And Wimmen' (4:37)
04. Just You And Me (7:42)
05. Let's Make It (4:06)
06. Peavine (5:08)
07. Boogie Chillen No. 2 (11:33)