John Lee Hooker Jr. "Live in Istanbul"

(Steppin' Stone) In Chicago you meet a lot of Blues "Jrs" and "Littles." Some of them clearly have no connection ti their names (outsider nose flute street performer Little Howling Wolf), some may or may not be related, but have their own charms (Elmore James, Jr.), some do eerie recreations of their father's act (both Johnnie Taylor, Jr and his brother Floyd), and some are just confusing (our friend Bobby Bland, Jr.). But it's rare to hear one of these cats simultaneously doing their own thing, paying tribute to Sr., and demonstrating real talent that is different but not incomparable from their forbearer. JLH Jr. has the meaty voice and charisma to command a massive crowd of Turks, but he doesn't try to fake the rawness and simplicity of his father's music, running a tight, slick operation, that draws from contemporary blues and isn't afraid to play to the crowd. While this can seem insufferable in some tourist blues bars, it feels pretty good here, and if you are on the fence with Jr., you won't be when you check out the bonus DVD, an absurd animated music video, that looks like it was done by tweaking Guitar Band and Grand Theft Auto to illustrate a blues song about cheating and its consequences.