#740- > The Westbound Sound (Various Artists) - Foundations (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2025 – Westbound Records

Release Date : April 12, 2025

 

By Phillip Smith; April 12, 2025

 

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Be on the lookout this Record Store Day for this groovy compilation album from Westbound Records called The Westbound Sound – Foundations. Packed with ten terrific tracks dripping with funky goodness, this release was curated specifically for RSD, and lands as the second installment of this nature by Westbound. I love the mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar with each track freely flowing right to the next down to the end.

The ride begins with the 1971 horn-infused, keyboard-centric instrumental “Pack of Lies” by The Counts. This track absolutely cooks as slices of psychedelic guitar licks take a dip into the furious percussion. I love the 1976 Fuzzy Haskins track “Love’s Now Is Forever” featuring P-Funk’s Bootsy Collins on bass and Bernie Worrell on keys. Strings and horns give this one a big sound. Hearing the 1977 selection “Well, Have A Nice Day” by King Errisson instantly transports the listener to the disco era with its Latin beat, smooth vocals, and inescapable rhythm. I can definitely feel the funk on Caesar Frazier’s “Funk It Down”. This one is so buttery, I melt with every listen. Hearing Funkadelic always puts a smile on my face, and it makes me gleam with delight to hear the playful low groove of “Nappy Dugout” from their 1973 Cosmic Slop album (which by the way was their first album with cover art by Pedro Bell). The 1976 song “Suzie Thundertussy” by Junie Morrison, a one-time member of The Ohio Players and member/musical director of Parliament-Funkadelic” blends freaky funk with roller-rink disco and totally captivates me. Foundations concludes with the slow dance favorite “Mixed Up Moods and Attitudes” by The Fantastic Four. Long hanging notes soaked in a cosmic brew usher the song in. Accompanied with strings and soulful harmonies, it surely makes for a very beautiful song.

Enjoy Record Store Day, and if you find this treasure, I highly recommend it.

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