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        Burnin'

        Rate It! Avg: 4.5 (69 ratings)
        Sample Album
        Burnin' album cover
        01
        Boom Boom
        		 2:32 $0.99
        02
        Process
        		 3:49 $0.99
        03
        Lost A Good Girl
        		 2:51 $0.99
        04
        A New Leaf
        		 2:30 $0.99
        05
        Blues Before Sunrise
        		 3:49 $0.99
        06
        Let's Make It
        		 2:27 $0.99
        07
        I Got A Letter (This Morning )
        		 2:44 $0.99
        08
        Thelma
        		 3:31 $0.99
        09
        Drug Store Woman
        		 2:47 $0.99
        10
        Keep Your Hands To Yourself (She's Mine)
        		 2:10 $0.99
        11
        What Do You Say
        		 2:27 $0.99
        Album Information
        EDITOR'S PICK

        Total Tracks: 11   Total Length: 31:37

        Find a problem with a track? Let us know.

        eMusic Review 0

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        Mike McGonigal

        eMusic Contributor

        Mike McGonigal is editorial director for YETI publishing and the author of three little music books. He lives in Portland, OR, where he spends his time assembli...more »

        04.22.11
        Next time you throw a shindig, you could do a lot worse than these eleven songs.
        2007 | Label: Vee-Jay Ltd. Partnership / The Orchard

        When John Lee Hooker made the transition from regional indies to the larger independent label Vee-Jay in the mid '50s, he began to work with larger backing groups. Now, John Lee Hooker has made a lot of records, and many of them have the same songs recorded over and over again. 1962's Burnin' is no exception, but it's got a big sound, and it benefits greatly from its latest mastering job. A nice mixture of classics and obscure numbers, this might be the best Hooker album cut with a large group. There's even a tenor sax on here, alongside the stride piano, bass drums and second guitar. Hooker's voice is lower in the mix than typical, but it's fine, given the way that it's been swathed in echo and surrounded by his session player pals.

        The Hook is not at his deepest and darkest, by any means. There are no gloomy numbers about the flood in Tupelo, Mississippi, for instance. On the contrary, this record seems to have been made for partying. The slow, stomping "I Got a Letter This Morning" never achieves the modal endless boogie it might in a different setting, but the airy, light arrangement makes it easier… read more »

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        You Know This Music

        FourthRow

        Even if you've never heard it before, some small part of your soul knows and responds to every note of this album. You have heard John Lee's voice in your dreams and thought perhaps that it was your own voice, and your own words.

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        They Say All Music Guide

        From the vaults of Vee Jay Records comes an abundance of classic John Lee Hooker reissues, featuring original art work, running orders, and budget prices from the Collectables label. With the amount of Hooker material available on the market, some of it is of dubious quality, but you can’t go wrong with these reissues. Burnin’ was released in 1962 and combines 12 tracks of electric material performed by Hooker backed by a band on “Crawlin’ Kingsnake,” “Boom Boom,” “Blues Before Sunrise,” “Drug Store Woman,” and “What Do You Say.” All of the Hooker Vee Jay reissues are recommended. – Al Campbell