Chill Out
One of his finest '90s recordings,Chill Outbalances the guitar-glitz ofCarlos Santana's guest shot on the karmic title cut with a handful of profoundly deep Hooker solo performances. Among those are new versions of his standards "Tupelo" and "Annie Mae," and the soulful "If You've Never Been in Love," where expert slide-manRoy Rogersprovides subtle accompaniment to Hooker's spontaneous storytelling. The band numbers that bookend the album are weak, relying on Hooker's strong vocal presence to overcome sketchy writing.Van Morrison, pianistCharles Brown, andM.G.'s leader Booker T. Jones also lend a hand.  But Hooker doesn't need anybody's help to get to the passionate heart of his blues. One last note: Anton Corbijn's CD-booklet photographs of ol' Johnny Lee are terrific.--Ted Drozdowski