WAX, DEC 2000

" Despite the fact Miss Willis is bearing a fair bit of flesh through her knitted jumper (she's obviously going for the non-tacky approach with the nakedness), it won't be this that makes you buy the album. Waht will make you buy Soul Makeover are the deep, soulful grooves laced with the slighted essence of house and, of course, her dreamy voice. Tracks like the old skool -flavoured Curiosity and Dinosauri will massage your eardrums with their significant melodies. Willis claims she had Nina Simone as her guide, and with inspiration from people like the Supremes and Soft Cell, you know this is going to make interesting listening." - JD

i-D, NOV 2000

"...Her debut album Soul Makeover exudes a wonderfully emotive fusion of soulful electro funk, sultry deep house and ambient meanderings, thanks to artists as diverse as Sister Sledge to Funkstorung - and was co-written and produced with Finnish hubby Jimi Tenor ("I've always been attracted to odd-looking, aloof people") and his mate, fellow yank Maurice Fulton. And it is inspiring reverential rumbles across the dance music fraternity at an almost insatiable rate..." - LULU LE VAY

THE FACE, "BLAME IT ON THE BOOGIE", OCT 2000

"It is not the most likely line-up for the best soul album of the year: an ex-acid jazz singer from Brooklyn, a Curtis Mayfield-obsessed Finn, and a dress-wearing American house DJ and producer. But Nicole Willis, husband Jimi Tenor and Maurice Fulton have achieved just that. And Soul Makeover is thus the best soul record ever to appear on a Finnish free-jazz label. "You know what?" asks Willis rhetorically, "I'm happier with this record than with anything I've ever done." Recorded in Barcelona last year, Soul Makeover contains the most wonderfully morphed package of straight-up soul, Eighties boogie and off-kilter electronica you could wish to hear. From the Depeche Mode-influenced Curiosity, to the robust R&B of All The Time, this is spine-tingling soul music at its, er, oddest. Willis married Tenor last November during the recording of the album - the reception saw Jimi serenade Willis in a Brooklyn karaoke bar with Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is (an event Jimi describes as, "very moving, honestly"). So after turning soul-jazz inside out, what next for Nicole and her magic band? "Since being in Finland with Jimi we have been picking magic mushrooms and listening to progressive rock", she murmurs. "We want to get some of that going on in there" Sound the alarm: the Seventies prog revival starts here. Maybe." - BEN MORTIMER

JOCKEY SLUT, OCT 2000

"Just when you thought dance music was getting dull and obvious, someone takes you by surprise and restores your faith once more. Nicole Willis is one such act. Having already worked as a vocalist for Leftfield (Swords), Curtis Mayfield and Deee-lite, New York-bred Nicole - who is married to Finnish superfreak Jimi Tenor - has done herself proud with this debut. Produced by herself, her hubby and his mate Maurice Fulton, Soul Makeover is peppered with influences from Motown soul to R'n'B to acid house via deep house and jazz, with each track as strong and emotive as the next. The first single, All The Time, is a gorgeous downtempo slice of self-reflection, Bliss Of Life boasts Funkstorung-like electronica and crazed jazz licks, and Gonna Get Yours is reminiscent of Frankie by Sister Sledge, only with electrodes shoved up its arse. Soul Makeover is diverse, melodic and inspired. Let's hope others will follow her example." - LULU LE VAY / ****

UNDERGROUND FILE.COM, NOV 2000

"The year is 1990, and Nu British soul and acid jazz are at their prime time. Labels like Boogie Back and Expansions release one killer soul track after another, and female singers like Kim Edwards, Carleen Anderson and Misty Oldland provide us with more soulful grooves than you can shake a stick at. Unfortunately, this period disappeared as fast as it arrived, and lots of us were left empty-handed and craving for more grooves like this. Nicole Willis' debut album "Soul Makeover" on Sähkö Records represents one of the few recent examples of fearless artists who take the music back to the early 90's and revive a long gone era of true soulful music. What if I tell you that Nicole was part of Repercussions' second album entitled "Charmed Life" that was exclusively released on Pony Canyon out of Japan? What if I tell you that Nicole headed Repercussions from 1989 to 1995? What if I tell you that her album on Sähkö is just as beautiful and soulful as Repercussions' records? What if... But these are only words that can never describe the gorgeous soul on this album; music that had me grooving to incredibly funky horns and flutes on "Xibeca" music that had me dreaming to the Boogie Back-ish "All The Time," music that in general touched my soul like so many acid jazz and soul tracks that were released almost a decade ago. Nicole Willis reminds us that there are still artists who feel the power of this music, and to make it even better she delivers it to us lost souls on this planet, 10 out of 10 for this effort." - MG

VYBEMUZIK.COM, NOV 2000

"I have to say that this was a surprise hit for me. As I first gave it an ear, the first song "I'm Not Going", a soft hip hop, urban song with underproduced style, I figured it was one of those "nice try" albums. Cute, but not quite cutting it types. But to my surprise as each song went on, the sound changed and grew and took an a life of it's own. By Track 6 "Siesta" a soft downtempo number with Nicole's Roberta Flack style of vocals holding the entire song. "Curiosity" is another strong single for this record, deep tech house and flighty vocal layerings melt with Nicole's not too strong, but just right vox in the lead. 10 tracks and so many styles, this was a pleasant and refreshing musical journey. Did I mention it was produced by Maurice Fulton and Jimi Tenor?" 4 stars