Who left soul music out to dry, banishing real horn sections, stellar string arrangements, relentless guitar and bass lines, butt-shaking drum work, catchy refrains, serious organ grinding and truly inspired vocals? With today’s shrinking album sales and greater stress placed on big name marketing, it makes me wonder if there’s a grand conspiracy in place that aims to make all ears go gaga over the likes of Beyonce, Jessica Simpson or, God help us, Fergie. Putting my paranoia aside for a moment to focus on true talent, what I really dig are the original funk-soul divas like Betty Davis, Marva Whitney or Lynn “The Female Preacher” Collins to inject some serious soul licks into my welcoming mix. Their recordings were built on the raw emotional power of the human voice and framed by the topnotch competence of gifted backing bands, not digital cover-up techniques attempting to solve the mystery of how many ways a producer can polish a turd. Thankfully, Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators are every bit as tight, gifted and necessary as their most worthy predecessors were some thirty and even forty years ago.
I’m always a tad skeptical when a friend recommends I buy modern day “funk” music, usually because fans of this genre rarely listen to anything else, and their suggestions often qualify more as hippie jam band crap rather than, say, something sweet off of McNeal and Niles “Thrust” album. You’ll have to excuse me, per the usual, I’m veering off track in an effort to provide a modicum of context to this release, which I’ve listened to no less than five times since yesterday when I got it in the mail. It’s just hard for me to believe that “Keep Reachin’ Up” isn’t a reissue of a lost gem that some geeky DJ didn’t recently uncover in the closet of a Philadelphia radio station that was abandoned back in the hot summer of ‘74. The music is just that good, never overextending a particular movement on any of the cuts before shifting tempo and chord changes with well-practiced flourish, prompting nicely contained solos or the sweet singing of lead lady, Nicole Willis, to round out the sound.
The opening “Feeling Free,” with tasteful strings supplied by The Pekka Kuusisto String Orchestra, that also add delightful gravitas to “My Four Leaf Clover,” “No One’s Gonna Love You,” and the hidden bonus track reprise, do an awesome job of restraint. Like Phil Spector or Jack Nitzsche’s best arrangements, the strings embellish the core sonority, never overwhelming the basic structure of the band. Even without strings, the requisite closing instrumental, “Soul Investigator’s Theme,” at under two minutes, doesn’t come close to wearing out its welcome. When was the last time you heard a decent flute solo that didn’t distract from a convincing love song? I can’t remember, either. Check out “If This Ain’t Love (Don’t Know What Is) to hear how it should be done. The title track, “Keep Reachin’ Up,” with its bouncing bass and hooks a-plenty, is sure to easily arouse the feet of the most ardent wallflowers.
Pick up a copy at here or from the links above and below. |