Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators - Keep on reaching up: remixed

At first glance, this record seems like a rehash of a number of old funk hits, or a remixed retrospective of a minor Seventies star. In fact Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators are a contemporary ten-piece who just do a pretty decent job of sounding like the offcuts of a busy day at Holland-Dozier-Holland. The remixes offer a little something for everyone: a deep and dubby take on classic soul by Simbad, a skittery, fractured piece of hip-hop from Bugz in the Attic's Afronaut and a fairly unimpressive cut from Rob Life. It's mostly listenable stuff, though Mr Scruff's contribution is a bloody let-down. We've come to expect more than just bonged-out afrobeat from Manchester's favourite tea-lord. The Elizabeth Shepherd trio up the game however, rounding the album off with a quick-stepping rhythmic take on If This Ain't Love that makes you shimmy, shake and shuffle. [Liam Arnold]