John Lee Hooker
was still churning out
R&B
-influenced
electric blues
with a rhythm section for
Vee Jay
when he recorded
The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker
, his first album packaged for the
folk
/
traditional
blues
market. He plays nothing but acoustic guitar, and seems to have selected a repertoire with old-school
country-blues
in mind. It's unimpressive only within the context of
Hooker
's body of work; in comparison with other solo outings, the guitar sounds thin, and the approach restrained. ~ Richie Unterberger