Nicole Willis

To say that the Soul Investigators are at the forefront of Finland funk isn't saying that much, but the group has managed to carve out a niche for themselves among the international retro soul movement. Of course, it doesn't hurt their cause that they've teamed up with New York soul chanteuse Nicole Willis, whose resume includes collaborations with Curtis Mayfield and the Brand New Heavies as well as a stint as the third member of influential early-'90s funk electronic group Dee-Lite. Willis and the Soul Investigators' first full-length, Keep Reachin' Up, was released in Europe in 2006 (2007 in the U.S.) to near universal acclaim. U.K. tastemaker Gilles Peterson named lead-off single "Feeling Free" his song of the year.