Les Nubians | Nu Revolution
Album Review: Les Nubians – Nu Revolution
By Peggy Oliver
Listen to song samples from "Nu Revolution'', exclusively from Amazon on our R&B/Soul Page by clicking here!!
Listen to song samples from "Nu Revolution'', exclusively from Amazon on our R&B/Soul Page by clicking here!!
Sometimes
in the grand scheme of music, there are history lessons that are
taught. Born of a French father and Cameroonian mother, the sisters
spent time -between their birthplace of Paris, France, the war-torn
Chad, Africa - where their father volunteered for the Red Cross - and
Bordeaux, France. When Helene moved away at age nineteen, Celia was
battling loneliness but remained passionate about music, especially when
it came to jazz. Helene encouraged her sister from afar by sending
tapes of Ella (Fitzgerald) and Louis (Armstrong). The sisters reunited
after their father’s passing and began their musical quest while
educating themselves and others about their upbringing. Their
collective - Les Nouveaux Griots – inspired the duo’s name of Les
Nubians. Though they discovered more about their Afropean (African &
European) roots through time, Les Nubians brought no formal vocal
training to the table. Rejected by musicians who were reluctant to work
with the duo at first, they persevered by performing cover tunes in
acapella and producing poetry slams throughout France. After paying many
dues, Virgin Records finally took notice and signed them in the late
eighties.
Their debut in 1988, Princesses Nubiennes, was met with mixed reaction, ironically with a more so-so reception from their home country. Yet U.S. audiences were excited to hear their seamless mix of R&B, jazz and hip-hop sung in French and English; graced by African and European accents. Their debut was highlighted by the sweet soul/jazz grooves of “Makeda” (a song honoring African women in history) and a remake of Sade’s “Sweetest Taboo” (“Tabou”). Five years later came One Step Forward - leaning away from the politics and more towards the personal in a quad-lingual package (English, French, Spanish and Cameroonian). Though they firmly established their identity as vocalists, the ladies always championed the spoken word. They demonstrated their support with Les Nubians Presents Echoes - Chapter One: Nubian Voyager on their Nubiatek label; a compilation featuring urban poetic talent backed by a beat-driven soundtrack. After another long wait between projects, Nu Revolution finally arrives; mixing social awareness and personal matters. Once again, Les Nubians stamp their Afropean style with swift flowing harmonies and a steady diet of old and new school R&B, funk, neo-soul, and dance. The theme throughout this Nubiatek/Shenachie Entertainment release signifies a high energy celebration of what we have despite economic pressures and wars surrounding us.
Synopsis of Tracks from Nu Revolution:
Nu
Queens Intro – a smooth African drum line (all the drummers are from
Cameroon) which constantly shifts rhythms from slow to fast.
Acapella – an answer to the Intro with Les Nubians’ pure joyous harmonies decorated with African traditional vocal techniques.
Africa
For The Future - more African rhythms in a contemporary vein complete
with claps, horns, woodwinds and the South African Afro-fusion band
Freshlyground.
Afrodance – has that Prince
pounding new wave/funk written all over it but with an African
aftertaste; the ladies sure have Prince’s soul fried attitude to match.
Déjà Vu (Already You) – a duet with soul powerhouse Eric Roberson providing plenty of sensual tension driven by break beats.
Femme Polylandre (Polyandrous Woman) – the first mellow track off Nu Revolution as Les Nubians’ voices emits a Sade vibe and a couple of spoken word moments.
Fraicheur Souhaite (Freshness Desired) – another ballad with the ladies’ neo-soul touch.
Les
Gens (People) – a touch of the new jack swing with an unusual harmonic
spoken word breakdown and a rap about social consciousness on behalf of
immigrants from Blitz the Ambassador: “Just try to walk in my shoes.”
M’Bengue
(A Letter from…) – with that suave soul dance flair which made Soul II
Soul and others shine during the eighties and nineties; inviting the
listener exclusively to a special place: “Come with me to Cameroon;”
climaxed by triumphant chants from an African male chorus.
Liberte
(Liberty) – another mid tempo laid-back soul dance experience with a
subtle African accented groove and gospel inflections.
Veuillez
Veiller Sur Vos Reves - J Period Remix (Don’t Let Your Dreams Fall
Asleep) – an eighties-flavored tight hip-hop/R&B bounce a la Mary J
Blige. A major contributor to Les Nubians career - rapper John Banzai –
confidently bounces off the ladies’ vocal hooks.
Nu
Revolution – Asking questions like “Are we walking in the same
direction? How are we paving the way?,” the Spanish-flavored title track
starts with a pop/R&B flavor; then fades into a montage of adult
and children’s voices.
Nu Soul Makossa – honoring
Soul Makossa recorded by Cameroonian legend Manu Dibango in the
seventies; updated for the millennium with a slight rhythmic
R&B/hip-hop attitude alongside Dibango in a brief appearance.
Vogue
Navire (Sail On) - a hypnotizing, soothing ballad as Les Nubians’
harmonies sail on in a sea of keyboards and underlying African
percussion.
The minor problems on Nu Revolution
here are few and far between; notably the length of Vogue Navire which
could have been easily been trimmed two minutes. Even though Les
Nubians’ vocal quality is quite exquisite, they hold back a bit too much
on Fraicheur Souhaite. But that aside, there are many reasons on Nu Revolution to enjoy Les Nubians’ appreciation for where they came from and what they strive for every time they sing.
Peggy Oliver
The Urban Music Scene
Posted by Administration at 4/14/2011 5:20 PM 
Categories: Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Song Samples, World Music, Video
Tags: Rhythm And Blues Music Videos
Categories: Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Song Samples, World Music, Video
Tags: Rhythm And Blues Music Videos
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