Review

The essential works of a blues master
Skip James, who alternated between pimping, preaching and piano teaching, might have been the oddest bluesman to emerge from the wilds of the Mississippi Delta. He was certainly the most affecting and quite possibly the greatest, making this record, which collects James' original recordings — 16 of the 26 sides he cut in a single, 1931 session survive — essential listening for anyone even remotely interested in American roots music.

James, who sang in a high, haunting register, was a remarkably fast and fluent guitarist as well as an accomplished whorehouse piano-player: "I'm So Glad," which was covered in later years by Cream and the Stooges, is likely the fastest, most intricate country blues song on record. James also wrote a few of the saddest blues to have come down to us: "Devil Got My Woman," which served as the model for Robert Johnson's "Hellhound On My Trail," and "Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues," which was one of the few country blues compositions to directly refer to the Great Depression. The sound quality of these recordings might vary, but if you make it past the crackle and pop, the rewards are immeasurable.