*** John Lee Hooker

THE BEST OF FRIENDS

(Pointblank/ Virgin)

This tribute to John Lee Hooker's 50th year in show biz kicks easy and hard. The disc, which assembles 12 collaborations the Boogie Man's cut over the past decade with long-established rock icons, opens with his 1948 number-one hit "Boogie Chillen" in a 1998 reworking that features Eric Clapton sweating harder than any time since his last heroin withdrawal. From there, it goes on to sample the ways in which Hooker's songs fit neatly into other artists' styles, from Santana's smooth Latin groove to Van Morrison's mystical soul to various shades of straight raunch from Ry Cooder, Jimmie Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt, and Los Lobos.

The linchpin, however, is a double whammy that has nothing to do with Hooker's vaunted friends. First comes "Burnin' Hell," a startling renunciation of salvation featuring young upstart Ben Harper that was cut just before John Lee's 81st birthday this past summer. That's followed by a 1993 reminiscence about a long-ago Mississippi flood that the master takes alone, accompanied only by his acoustic guitar and one slow tapping foot keeping time across the ages. It's a reminder that this tribute also kicks simply because Hook is still kicking.

-- Franklin Soults