Prior to the 1980s it was rare to have two different artists collaborating and performing together on a song. As the eighties began, so did the era of collaborative songs. The first major team up of the decade was Queen and David Bowie with “Under Pressure”, after which a plethora of musical collabs followed. Some of the more notable being cover songs like “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith and Run D.M.C. and “Dancing in The Street” by Mick Jagger and David Bowie as well original songs like “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty. These songs were generally released as singles or would be the sole track with a featured artist on an album. Then, in 1989, blues legend John Lee Hooker entered the studio to record The Healer, his first album since 1972’s Never Get Out of These Blues Alive. The Healer’s track list included featured artists on seven out of the ten tracks, including a wide range of artists like Santana, Bonnie Raitt and Canned Heat. After more than a decade of being out of print, Craft Recordings is reissuing The Healer on both CD and 180-gram vinyl.
The album begins with the titular song, “The Healer”, an original composition by Carlos Santana, Hooker, and the album’s producer Roy Rogers. “The Healer” sounds like it could be on any Santana album with its Latin flair and Santana’s guitar flourishes. It seems likely, with his involvement on The Healer, that Santana copied this collaboration pattern for his massively successful Supernatural album in the 90’s. The next track on the album is a cover of one of Hooker’s previously released songs, “I’m In The Mood,” performed with Bonnie Raitt. This particular collaboration would give Hooker his first ever Grammy award in his four-decade career for Best Traditional Blues Performance. On “Cuttin’ Out,” we find Hooker reunited with psychedelic-blues-rockers Canned Heat, with whom he recorded Hooker ‘N Heat in 1971. The track is pure Canned Heat blues-rock and the chemistry between Hooker and Canned Heat is undeniable. “That’s Alright” is one of the stand out tracks on the album with Charlie Musselwhite providing excellent harmonica backing to Hooker’s talking blues making it one of the “bluesiest” tracks on The Healer. Hooker really shines though on the last three tracks on the album, which find the bluesman by himself with his guitar.
Though Hooker has released many albums over his fifty-plus year career that feature a truer Blues sound, The Healer is definitely his most well-known work. Given the range of collaborations on The Healer, it has a lot to offer for those who are fans of blues music and those that haven’t given it much chance. Hooker’s influence can be found across rock ‘n roll, including bands like The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top and many others. For those looking for a gateway album to Hooker’s catalogue, The Healer is definitely the place to start.
