AMG Review of Chill Out [Shout! Factory]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Chill Out isn't the superstar blow-out of John Lee Hooker's late-'80s albums, yet it retains that flavor. Featuring some extended soloing from Carlos Santana, Chill Out is filled with long blues workouts, all captured in pristine, state-of-the-art technology. Nothing on the disc captures the raw vitality of Hooker's prime material -- it's all relaxed blues-rock jams. The clean, sterile production doesn't help the basically directionless music. Certainly nothing on Chill Out is outright bad; in fact, most of it is pleasant, yet few of the songs on the album warrant repeated listens. [The 2007 Shout! edition features a new remastering overhaul and two bonus tracks.]