Cool Million

Influenced by the '80s synth funk of the S.O.S. Band, Midnight Star, and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Cool Million are a European production duo whose mission statement is to "take soul back to the future." Founded by Danish songwriter Frank Ryle, a passionate soul music fan who ran his own online magazine, Soulportal.dk, the collaborative outfit released its first track, "Naughty Girl," through an Expansion Records compilation before German producer Rob Hardt (Chaka Khan, Keith Sweat) came on board. Following the critical acclaim garnered by their 2008 debut, Going Out Tonight, they teamed up with a host of guest stars, including '80s soul singers Meli'sa Morgan, Peggi Blu, and Eugene Wilde and '70s R&B trio Black Ivory's Leroy Burgess, for follow-up Back for More, which was released through Hardt's own label, Sed Soul, in 2010. ~ Jon O'Brien