Solo performer: John Lee Hooker (vocals, guitar).

Recorded at Hunter College, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Robert Palmer.

Because he's so loose and improvisatory -- and because he loves to twist the 12-bar format into so many different shapes and sizes -- John Lee Hooker can present a major challenge to sidemen. More than a few times, Hooker has done without sidemen altogether and gone it alone with thrilling results. That's exactly what happens on Alone, an outstanding two-CD set containing live performances at New York's Hunter College from 1976. Not having to concern himself with the needs of a drummer or a bassist, the singer/guitarist is especially introspective and doesn't hesitate to let loose and improvise on such familiar tunes as "Boogie Chillen," "Boom Boom" and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer." Hooker enjoys improvisation as much as a jazz musician, and on these magnificent recordings, he is at his most uninhibited and takes one liberty after another. ~ Alex Henderson

ALONE is made up of songs taken from a pair of live sets recorded at New York City's Hunter College spread over two discs. As the title makes evident, this is John Lee Hooker stripped down to basics; just a voice and an acoustic guitar. Despite the apparent simplicity of this set-up, Hooker's musical approach went beyond the stereotypical image of a blues musician keeping time with his foot and stringing together colloquial non sequitirs. Instead, improvisation is the name of the game, which means that Hooker doesn't necessarily keep specific time. Instead, these rambling narratives are occasionally punctuated either by a stray chord or a few squeezed-off notes.

This technique works especially well on some of the deeper shadows within which the Hook walks. "Jesse James" gave the outlaw his due whereas "I'll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive" reeks of the foreboding that Robert Johnson must have felt at the crossroads. Hooker does get to boogie, and lays down a nice groove on numbers such as "Boom Boom," "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" and "All Night Long."

Down Beat (9/90) - 5 Stars - Excellent "...Hooker at his most menacing, unconstrained by bar lines and accompanists, free to relentlessly follow the mood of the tune wherever it suits him."