Keep Reachin' Up

"An inspired set of authentic '60s soul. Probably the best classic Motown album never recorded, with a wonky noughties twist.”
- i-DJ Magazine (5/5)

"…reminds us that old soul can sound joyously alive when compared to some of the new music that MTV-land is force-feeding us.”
- Echoes

"They round up every stray vibe a soul LP should boast.”
- Record Collector

"Amazing, varied and really soulful.”
- Mr Scruff

"Got THAT sound down perfectly. Supporting this everyway I can.”
- Gilles Peterson, BBC

"This album is amazing!”
- Rob Luis, Tru Thoughts

Northern Soul gets no further North than this! Back in '05, a cult Finnish group hooked up with a transplanted US singer and began jamming. Before long, they realised they'd stumbled upon something really rather special. In the tradition of Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings or Alice Russell's work with the Quantic Soul Orchestra, Nicole Willis and The Soul Investigators have delivered an absolute killer of an album with 'Keep Reachin' Up'!

The album proves their venture's worth, from the bustle of Hitsville soundalikes 'My Four Leaf Clover' and 'Invisible Man' to the heavy swell of the ballad 'No One's Gonna Love You' and album opener – and Gilles Peterson's WorldWide track of '06 – 'Feeling Free'. Nicole may not have the rangiest pipes, but with floor-packing killers like these, who's nitpicking?

Nicole Willis is from New York but her musical career has taken her worldwide: beginning in London in the mid-'80s where she was involved with members of The Brand New Heavies, she then returned to NY as part of the earliest lineup of Deee-lite, before touring with The The, recording with Curtis Mayfield and picking up soulful session work.

The Soul Investigators are one of Finland's best kept secrets, having churned out their brand of funkiness for many years, including the album we released last year, 'Fat Slice o' Funk', which picked up rave reviews from switched on critics.

Nicole Willis is very soulful, while The Soul Investigators aren't afraid to bring the funk to the table! Way more than merely a "funk band meets diva” set, 'Keep Reachin' Up' is a fully-formed, future classic soul record, a "retro”-styled set that would easily stand alongside the best from King, Brunswick or Curtom back in the day. Essential.

"Easily the finest album yet from the global nu-funk movement. Flawless.”
- Flux Magazine