Hellhound on My Trail: Songs of Robert Johnson
An anthology celebrating the music of Robert Johnson,Hellhound on My Trailcollects versions of the master's songs by such latter-day luminaries asClarence "Gatemouth" Brown,Robert Lockwood Jr., andJoe Louis Walker, along with such relative newcomers asAlvin "Youngblood" HartandSusan Tedeschi. While few would argue that any of these are definitive versions, there are some nice additions to the Johnson cover canon.David "Honeyboy" Edwards's slower, less maniacal take on "Traveling Riverside Blues" proves a nice change of pace, though one would be better off digging up their old copies ofExile on Main Streetfor a more interesting interpretation of "Stop Breaking Down" than the one here byCarl Weathersby. All in all, a pleasant diversion, but one must add that Johnson's legacy seems better carried on by the likes of theWhite StripesandWill Oldhamthan some of the more "traditional" acts on this compilation.--Mike Johnson