Never has there been a more mysterious figure than the blues guitar player accused of selling his soul to the devil at the crossroads. Robert Johnson recorded very little but what he did is the stuff that legends are made up. His playing influenced Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Bonnie Raitt, Keith Richards and countless others. His songs have a legacy unlike any other artist and his tale is one of hellhounds, the devil, woman, booze and a premature death, care of a bullet.

This two-disc collection features 42 Johnson penned tunes, including 15 alternate versions of some of his best-known songs. Johnson’s death gave birth to his legacy, which, some may argue brought about the British Blues Invasion of the 1960’s. His best known numbers include “Kind Hearted Woman Blues,” “Sweet Home Chicago,” “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom,” “Come On In My Kitchen,” “Cross Road Blues,” “If I Had Possession over Judgment Day,” “I’m A Steady Rollin’ Man,” “Hell Hound On My Trail,” “Me And The Devil Blues,” “Traveling Riverside Blues” and “Milkcow’s Calf Blues.”

The sound quality on the CD is wonderful. Modern technology has made it possible to bring the music to the forefront and the ambiance and scratchiness to the background. Robert Johnson has never sounded this good.

This one is for anyone who ever wondered who, and what, inspired Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and countless others.