Burnin' : 60th Anniversary Expanded Edition (1962)

"Hooker's 1962 album "Burnin'" is one of the most revered titles in his discography. While his earliest sides featured only his guitar and a stomp board, he also cut sides with a second guitarist or harmonicist. (...) "Burnin'" was recorded in a single day in a Chicago; it paired Hooker for the first time with a full, live electric band in the studio. The musicians were brought in from Detroit, all session aces familiar with Hooker from his years of playing clubs on Hastings Street: the very first incarnation of Motown's globally renowned house band, the Funk Brothers. The set opener is single "Boom Boom", it growls to life with saxes, piano, and shuffling drums offering a rowdy vamp. At the midway point, Hooker, playing in an uncharacteristically tight fashion, delivers a shout worthy of Ray Charles. (...) This expanded CD offers both the mono and stereo mixes, plus a previously unreleased alternate take of "Thelma"." (Allmusic; 5 uit 5 sterren)