A rare soul treasure – previously unissued work from Little Willie John, cut for Capitol Records by the mighty David Axelrod! The pairing is quite unique, but it's a great one – and if anything, Little Willie John sparkles here even more than on his later King sides – finding a hipper 60s groove that moves way past older R&B modes! Willie's vocals are still wonderful, and they're set up here with arrangements from HB Barnum – who brings in plenty of bounce, snap, and vamp to the grooves – similar to his more famous Axelrod productions for Lou Rawls, but rougher and grittier here in the company of John. A few cuts bring in more ambitious backings – taking Little Willie into the same space as his longtime fan and supporter James Brown – at least in the way Brown hit ballads during the 60s – and given Axelrod's hand in the studio, there's a clarity here that the singer hardly would have found at King Records, who blocked the initial release of this material back in the 60s. CD features 20 tracks in all – a number of alternates, and the master takes – with tunes that include "Crying Over You", "Country Girl", "Suffering With The Blues", "Never Let Me Go", "I Had A Dream", "In The Dark", "Welcome To The Club", "I Need Someone", and "Early In The Morning". (Soul, Blues) CD

Raw soul from the second Piano Slim – Willard Burton of Houston, who's heard here on some killer tracks from the start of the 60s! Slim's definitely got some blues in the way he approaches the piano, but the productions here are more soul-based and R&B-styled overall – often in ways that make use of his piano and vocals with the kind of hard-edged, socking soul modes you'd be more likely to hear from the New Orleans scene of the time – although Slim's also got plenty of Texas grit in his grooves! Some numbers are instrumentals, many have vocals – and the collection brings together early singles and a number of unreleased tracks – with titles that include "Spinning Top (parts 1 & 2)", "Sadie Hawkins Day", "Do It Now", "Look At Grandma Watusi", "Lot Of Shakin Lot Of Jivin", "Key Jammer", "Ennis Lee", and "Mister Twister". (Soul, Blues) CD