John Lee Hooker Jr.

Hell hath no fury like a bluesman scorned, and, yessir, that woman done John Lee Hooker Jr. mighty wrong indeed. Just who that woman is might be up for debate, however, because when I listen to him bemoan some noir-style femme fatale in the title track from his '06 release, Cold as Ice, I can't help but think that maybe, just maybe, he's anthropomorphized his addictions from the bad old days, before he squared up and reacquainted himself with his enormous talent. The son and namesake of the—need it even be said?—legendary Delta-born master of the down-and-outs has mastered his own demons and produced the songs to go with it. He's emerged with a backwoods-meets-urban style tinged with the residue of dysfunction and, yeah, a little fury. KEVIN CAPP
Thu., March 20, 8 p.m., 2008