Burnin', from 1962, was recorded in a single session with drums, bass, second guitar, piano, tenor saxophone and baritone saxophone, and represents a departure from earlier Hooker albums, on which he often played with just a guitar and a piece of plywood on which he stamped his foot. His backing band for this Vee-Jay release consists of members of the Funk Brothers, best known as the house band for Motown Records. They do an admirable job of following Hooker, one of the industry's most idiosyncratic musicians, wherever he leads. The album opens with the single "Boom Boom," which has become a blues standard over the years. Music critic Charles Shaar Murray called it "the greatest pop song [Hooker] ever wrote." The verses of the song, which has just about the tightest musical structure of any Hooker composition, stick scrupulously to the twelve-bar format on which he usually tends to dabble. And the quality doesn't let up after the strong opener. Instead, the album offers a cohesive and engaging listening experience that keeps you captivated from start to finish. Pure, 100 percent electro blues.