New Orleans veteran R&B singer Willie West (for more on West check out OffBeat‘s March 1998 issue) finally puts out his debut CD and it’s a fine effort. Aided by a couple of horns, bass, keyboard, drums and some fine guitar, West works his way in a polished fashion through old and new blues and soul.

West is actually a more emotive vocalist than many of his earlier singles displayed, and he really has polish and feel for this idiom. The band here seems to lend the strength he needs and is constantly pushing rather than pulling. Producer Bobby Love should get some of the credit for the strong backing.

Highlights contained on From West With Love include “Got To Cut You Loose,” “I Ain’t Superstitious,” “This Time Around” and the inevitable remake of “Did You Hove Fun.” Only one track is really disappointing, “This Time Around,” which is marred by the annoying inclusion of a synthesizer.

I’d classify this release as Southern R&B and go as far as stating that some of these tracks are as good, if not better, than a lot of the material Malaco is making the charts with these days. On the down side, though, there is only 30 minutes of music here, so you don’t get a lot of bang for your buck. Nevertheless, a little bit of something good is better than a whole lot of something bad.