Hell hath no fury like a bluesman scorned, and, yessir, that woman
done John Lee Hooker Jr. mighty wrong indeed. Just who that woman is
might be up for debate, however, because when I listen to him bemoan
some noir-style femme fatale in the title track from his ’06 release,
Cold as Ice, I can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, he’s
anthropomorphized his addictions from the bad old days, before he
squared up and reacquainted himself with his enormous talent. The son
and namesake of theneed it even be said?legendary Delta-born master
of the down-and-outs has mastered his own demons and produced the
songs to go with it. He’s emerged with a backwoods-meets-urban style
tinged with the residue of dysfunction and, yeah, a little fury.
KEVIN CAPP
Thu., March 20, 8 p.m., 2008
