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Willie & West Meet The New Sounds (Willie & West At Their Best/New Sounds/bonus tracks)

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Rare soul galore – a pair of totally rare albums, plus bonus tracks too! First up is Willie & West At Their Best – a killer of a soul album from the New Jersey underground! This is the same Willie from Willie & The Mighty Magnificents – working here with singer West, who he supposedly started out with. The pair have a style that's a bit like some of the sock-soul duos of the 60s – but they're also willing to let each other take the lead from time to time, singing in a deep soul style that belies their Augusta, Georgia roots! The album's nice and raw – a rare soul gem with a rough and ready heart that keeps it strong over the years. Titles include "Can You Hear The Voices", "The Will", "Beautiful Party", "Deep Down In Your Soul", "You & Me", "Key To My Happiness", and "Watch Yourself". The next album by The New Sounds is some of the deepest soul ever cut by the All Platinum family of labels – done by a vocal group who were contemporaries of The Moments and Whatnauts, but who sang with an even grittier sound overall! There's definitely some sweet New Jersey touches on the set, but some tracks also bring in a bit of a southern soul element too – a nice sense of raspiness on the vocals that's a completely charming combination with the spare instrumentation and rough-edged production! The album's exactly the kind we keep digging rare soul for – and it's a lost treasure from the early 70s east coast group scene – with cuts that include "Don't Take Your Love From Me", "Two Of A Kind", "Sweet Memories", "Having You Around", "Moving", "Tell Me Your Name", and "Just As I Am". CD also features 2 bonus tracks from Willie & West – "Attica Massacre" and "Nobody's Fault But Mine" – and one more bonus track from Robert Tanner, "Sweet Memories".  © 1996-2013, Dusty Groove, Inc.