Nicolewillis

[Dave]

spot op...far better 60's and 70's records for £10, £20, £30 etc that are proper soul IMO that should be played before over hyped over played crap like NW (IMO of course ). There are too many DJ's who resort to playing popular and talked about records :angry: they should have the balls to play some of the tenner, twenty or 30 quidders that are unfortunalety over looked in favour of crap like NW NW is a boring record and pretty forgetful, one of those that you soon tire of IMO.

Now we've moved from liking/ not liking a record to what should/ should not be played.... heady stuff!

[Guest Trevski]

Bloody hell trevski where have you been....we played it at the friendship when it was a new release last year and ive just sold mine if id known you could have had it for nowt last friday at soulsville as i was sick of it...and i have to agree with chalky better 60's/70,s £10ers knocking around.

Dont get me wrong when i first heard it i thought it was great..but somehow i dont think it will have the longevity or become a classic in the soul scene.

Geeoooordie

Agree it will not have the longevity, but thats because it is readily available and therfore easily played, like the Frank Pop, Sven Zettterberg etc, but also current 'big' tunes like Pat & Blenders and Joe Jama, both of which I am heartily sick! If NW was an unreleased track, or a 'big ticket' 2/3 copies tune played by Butch et al, it would be around for years. I must be having a 'Mike Baldwin' moment in my old age, as I read the S.U.N. article, but completly forgot about it. As to where have I been, well Geordie lad, methinks I get to more places than you these days and I ain't heard it played at any of 'em until Saturday! Furthermore Myself, Martyn Bird (Hull soul club) and Chris Holmes from York, who has been around since God was a lad, all stopped in our tracks when we heard it. Standing at least 20ft apart at the time, we all looked at one another with that "What the f***..this is good!!" look on our faces. I was despatched to the decks forthwith, to find out info, and upon returning with said knowledge was immediatly tasked with tracking copies down for myself and Chris, while Martyn grabbed his own oft t'interweb as soon has he got home! Not many things have that reaction on such ancient and jaded ears as ours, let me tell you! True there are better records, there always are, whatever people currently rave over, and it will no doubt dissapear leaving nothing but the smallest ripple on the scenes memory, but 'til it does it will give a lot of people a lot of pleasure, as the dancefloor shows. Amen to that!

completly agree-read Andy Pointon's critical and detailed review in Winter N.Soul mag -giving it 6/10 -promises much but fails to deliver.... and follow up coments in current edition (Rant, Review, Roundup article by yours truely)

Completly dismiss this comment. Sorry Andy but you only seem to post to agree with something, then slip in a plug for something you are curently involved in, like R.Soul mag.......

Edited April 11, 2006 by Trevski

[Garethx]

This record seems to have polarised opinion like few others in recent times, so I might as well add my own personal view. I think it's a lame attempt at a self-conciously retro-soul sound. The melody is instant but ultimately unsatisfying; the vocal is competent but completely uninspired. The aspect of this that would have appealed in a club context is that it's well engineered and properly EQd: thus making it stand out when directly compared to the thirty to forty year old records played around it.

The Nicole Willis track is the pop counterpart to groups such as The DapKings, Charles Walker & The Dynamites and many others who clelebrate the funk and soul of the past without compromising much of the essential rawness of that music.

To me the Nicole Willis scenario is really little different from the playing of The Maisonettes "Heartbreak Avenue" in the early 80s. If someone presents a line of logic to illustrate that this is a materially different case in any meaningful way I will be amazed. Has the 'rare soul' scene (I use the term in inverted punctuation merely to distinguish it from the wider world of soul music) really come to this point again?

This particular track and "Tribute to Betty" by DJ Genesis seem to me to be the current versions of Party Time Man. Six months from now all their current proponents will claim to hate these particular tracks with a passion and will talk of rounding up all copies and smashing them with hammers etc. You mark my words...

Edited April 11, 2006 by garethx

[Guest ShaneH]

i agree with gareth that the record in question benefits greatly from the 'modern professional production'.

i was out about the trendy bars of sheffield the other night and one of the better hip-hop dj's was playing in a bar i frequent. the sound quality was amazing and this transcended the usually average tunes to another level. the brass and drums were remarkable. just a shame it lacked soul.

nicole willis - nice tune yes but definately benefits from the production.

Shane

[Chalky]

completly agree-read Andy Pointon's critical and detailed review in Winter N.Soul mag -giving it 6/10 -promises much but fails to deliver.... and follow up coments in current edition (Rant, Review, Roundup article by yours truely)

Completly dismiss this comment. Sorry Andy but you only seem to post to agree with something, then slip in a plug for something you are curently involved in, like R.Soul mag.......

I too would dismiss that comment, it should read

Promises nothing and delivers what it promises

(all IMHO of course)

[FrankM]

The aspect of this that would have appealed in a club context is that it's well engineered and properly EQd: thus making it stand out when directly compared to the thirty to forty year old records played around it.

All the Motown singles from 1966 were well engineered and properly EQ'd. What were they playing?

[Pete S]

Shame you have to analyse something all the time and can't just enjoy it!

(applies to everyone)

[Chalky]

Shame you have to analyse something all the time and can't just enjoy it!

(applies to everyone)

probably right Pete but personally I don't enjoy the particular record. And what would be the point of a forum if no discussion, analysis etc of events, records took place

I take it you include yourself in the "applies to everyone" comment

[Pete S]

probably right Pete but personally I don't enjoy the particular record. And what would be the point of a forum if no discussion, analysis etc of events, records took place

I take it you include yourself in the "applies to everyone" comment

No it was just so it wasn't directed at any one person in particular.

What makes me laugh is that people profess to enjoy records made from the 70's onwards which use fairlights, synthesized drums and so on, the antithesis of what soul is (i.e. it is artifically manufactured) yet an authentic sounding soul track comes along with no modern gimmicks, and it's slagged off.

Whcih just goes to prove my point.

You all smell.

[Guest Baz]

Whcih just goes to prove my point.

You all smell.

[Little-stevie]

Heard Nicole Willis for the first time at Piercebride last night! Wow! quality tune "if this ain't love"

Got a copy, and the new one "My four leaf clover" too! and the album! Quality soul still alive and kicking in 2006. Unbelievable! Anyone else missed this, check it out at https://www.myspace.com/nicolewillisandthesoulinvestigators Well worth the ££

I have about five promo copies of the new single,Four Leaf Clover if any of you want them...Sent from the record company....Email me....stevecato64@yahoo.co.uk.. first come first get....Free to you lot... ..You can add a cheque to pay for postage or see me out and about..I don't think its as good as the first single IMO...

STEVE

[Little-stevie]

I have about five promo copies of the new single,Four Leaf Clover if any of you want them...Sent from the record company....Email me....stevecato64@yahoo.co.uk.. first come first get....Free to you lot... ..You can add a cheque to pay for postage or see me out and about..I don't think its as good as the first single IMO...

STEVE

Got message Andy...

[Epic]

No it was just so it wasn't directed at any one person in particular.

What makes me laugh is that people profess to enjoy records made from the 70's onwards which use fairlights, synthesized drums and so on, the antithesis of what soul is (i.e. it is artifically manufactured) yet an authentic sounding soul track comes along with no modern gimmicks, and it's slagged off.

Whcih just goes to prove my point.

You all smell.

But there are no good modern records - only "broken ones" - your words not mine

[Guest]

Don't know if this has been discussed before but I was quite impressed with what I heard, nice to hear something new.

https://www.myspace.com/nicolewillisandthesoulinvestigators

What do the people think?

Really like this album, especially My Four Leaf Clover, although track 8 Holdin' On reminds me of a Pasadenas tune, but can't think which one.

[Pete S]

But there are no good modern records - only "broken ones" - your words not mine

The word 'soul' should follow the word 'modern' oh pedantic one.

[Epic]

The word 'soul' should follow the word 'modern' oh pedantic one.

Didn't want to upset you by putting the words modern & soul together - I know how sensitive you can be.

[Pete S]

Didn't want to upset you by putting the words modern & soul together - I know how sensitive you can be.

I am indeed one of life's tender plants

[Guest]

I am indeed one of life's tender plants

peter is a plant, peter is a plant

[Little-stevie]

All the copies have gone now...Lots of folk seem to like the first single...I think it really works in the club and for the a dancefloor,not a deep soul tune to listen at home to...Like many other tunes it will sound that much better if it aint battered to death...I love it for the dancefloor at the right time in a club with a good sound system...