User Reviews

Robert Johnson was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician. His recordings, collected on a two disc set from Sony/Columbia Legacy, represent almost all of his work, containing all 29 recordings and 12 alternate takes. Johnson died at the age of twenty seven under suspect circumstances, and the legendary myth surrounding his guitar prowess has given rise to the story of selling one's soul to the devil at a fabled Mississippi Crossroads.

Eric Clapton has called Johnson "the most important blues singer that ever lived. The "Sessions for Robert J" is Clapton's tribute to the guitar legend, recorded over a period of six months in four separate sessions in Checkendon, England, Irving and Dallas, Texas, and Santa Monica, California. Along with a group of talented musicians that includes organist Billy Preston, Clapton works his way through an eclectic assortment of Johnson's tunes, all of which appear on the Legacy set. In a somewhat humorous take on the filming of the sessions, with each song being done no more than once or twice, was Clapton's admonishment to his sound and film crew indicated in my summary line above. Approximately three dozen people were involved in putting this effort together, which isn't a documentary so much as the film record of musicians preparing for a future concert tour.

Personally, I recognize the influence of Robert Johnson in the development of the Mississippi Delta Blues style, and his impact on noted guitarists like Clapton, Keith Richards and Jimi Hendrix, but I have a hard time listening to his own recordings. His songs are sparse, with just his guitar and voice with no accompaniment. Johnson's high, lilting intonations giving rise to frequent ululations are matched by Clapton effectively, and with the backing of the other fine musicians, a lot of the song offerings will get you up on your feet. Perhaps the biggest surprise is Clapton's take on a song titled 'Love in Vain', recorded by the Rolling Stones in 1969 for their Let it Bleed album. At the time I thought it was an original Stones tune, but the popularity of their adaptation led to a lawsuit over the copyright, which was eventually resolved in favor of Johnson's estate.