Chill Out (Things Gonna Change)

by John Lee Hooker

Overview

It's a bad sign if the first sound on a John Lee Hooker album is icy synths and it's a further problem if the first audible guitar is not Hook's but the distinctive rounded tone of Santana. These are two pretty big tipoffs that 1995's Chill Out isn't a typical John Lee Hooker album, and arriving after the very typical 1992 album Boom Boom that could be seen as a welcome change of pace; after all, that record might have been tight and professional but it never was engaging. Sadly, Chill Out is also far from captivating, living up far too well to the mellow promise of its title. This is the rare Hooker album that exists almost entirely on a superficial surface: his signature boogie is buried so deep that even the handful of solo cuts here don't feel as idiosyncratic as usual -- they're quiet and restrained, so much so that they barely rise above a murmur. They feel like mood music, which is ultimately what Chill Out is. Sanded free of any grit, it's an album of background blues, designed as a soundtrack to a tasteful afternoon at a coffeehouse or a bookstore. It's the John Lee Hooker album for people who like the idea of listening to Hooker but don't quite care for his music. [Shout! Factory's 2007 reissue includes two previously unreleased bonus tracks: "Fire Down Below" and "Down So Low."] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	02/06/2007
Label:	Shout! Factory
UPC:	0826663103274
Rank:	94035

Tracks

1. Chill Out (Things Gonna Change)
2. Deep Blue Sea
3. Kiddio
4. Medley: Serves Me Right to Suffer/Syndicator
5. One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
6. Tupelo
7. Woman on My Mind
8. Annie Mae
9. Too Young
10. Talkin' the Blues
11. If You've Never Been in Love
12. We'll Meet Again
13. Down So Low
14. Fire Down Below

Album Credits

Performance Credits

John Lee Hooker   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar (Steel)
Carlos Santana   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Guitar,Featured Artist
Van Morrison   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Featured Artist
Roy Rogers   Guest Artist,Guitar,Slide Guitar
Booker T. Jones   Guest Artist,Organ
Charles Brown   Guest Artist,Piano
Scott Mathews   Drums
John Sanders   Piano
Karl Perazzo   Timbales
Raul Rekow   Congas
Jim Guyett   Bass
Danny Caron   Guitar
Gaylord Birch   Drums
Rich Kirch   Guitar
Deacon Jones   Farfisa Organ
Mac Cridlin   Bass
Benny Rietveld   Bass
Bowen Brown   Drums
Ruth Davies   Bass
Chester Thompson   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Carlos Santana   Composer,Producer
Rudy Toombs   Composer
Mike Kappus   Executive Producer
Brook Benton   Composer
Anton Corbijn   Photography
Arne Frager   Mixing,Engineer
Bruce Kaphan   Mixing,Engineer
Roy Rogers   Producer
John Lee Hooker   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Samuel Lehmer   Mixing,Engineer
Deacon Jones   Composer
Paul Stubblebine   Mastering
Clyde Otis   Composer
Gregory Fowler   Composer
Chester Thompson   Composer
Rex Sforza   Design
Len Peltier   Art Direction
Melvyn Jones   Composer