Nicole Wills And The Soul Investigators - Keep Reachin' Up

Really good soul music is incredibly difficult to find these days. At least I think it is. MTV will try to convince you that they include soul, R&B or funk music on their playlist but true authentic soul music needs to come from the heart and, for the most part, the heart of the music that passes for soul these days has way too much sheen, over production and fake instruments for me to really believe it. But when it comes to true soul, Nicole Willis has GOT it! Nicole has been playing music for several years, while being involved with bands like Dee-lite, The Brand New Heavies and The Flextones. On this release, she's collaborating with Finnish funk collective The Soul Investigators to give us the most soulful album I've heard since The Commitments soundtrack over 15 years ago. Taking a cue from some of the great Motown records of the 60's and 70's, Nicole exudes a confidence that reminds me of all of the greats. You've got some Gloria Gaynor with "Feeling Free," more classic Motown with "If This Ain't Love (Don't Know What Is)," some James Brown-like funkiness with the title track, Supremes-style smoothness with the catchy "My Four Leaf Clover" and I'm thinking some Otis with "A Perfect Kind Of Love." My musical A.D.D. causes me to jump around from artist to artist quite frequently, but to fill all my soulful needs, I imagine this is the one album I'll be frequently returning to for the next few years. Unless someone else takes a cue from Nicole Willis and brings soul back to its roots. Which would suit me just fine.

Download: If This Ain't Love (Don't Know What Is) mp3
Myspace: Nicole Willis And The Soul Investigators
Video: If This Ain't Love, Don't Know What Is youtube
Purchase: Keep Reachin' Out on Amazon.ca
Photo of Nicole Willis by Jimi Tenor