Les Nubians Preview “Nu Revolution” Album

On Friday, I received exclusive access to attend the listening party of French R&B duo Les Nubians.  The sister act, which consists of Hélène and Célia Faussart became hit makers in the United States R&B radio markets with their 1999 American debut single “Makeda.” The breezy, jazzy tune sung entirely in French automatically placed them amongst royalty in the neo-soul genre.  Since, the soulful sisters toured the world extensively promoting subsequent albums over the next decade and performed and worked with the likes of rapper Talib Kweli and singer Erykah Badu.

Since I am a fan of their jazzy, soulful sound, I was more than eager to check out their new tunes.  The setting, a recording studio inside a New York City’s Lower East Side loft was intimate for friends and industry professionals with whom the Nubians have bonded with over their career.  Consider me as a new friend since I met Célia, a.k.a. Blue Nefertiti, in November 2009 and met Hélène that night.  As the hostesses, they’ve created such a friendly, cheery vibe with their charming personalities and gratitude.  The food was what I expected from guests of French heritage – many assortments of fine cheeses, tasty crackers, wine, champagne and other light treats.  After an hour of mingling and networking, the guests are escorted to another room, a studio where the Nubians recorded Nu Revolution.

I had the pleasure of listening to six selections from the new album, and I will say in early judgement that the duo’s album reviews will be outstanding.  The three songs in French sounded beautiful.   On the other hand, the three English tracks that were previewed blew me away, not only by the production, lyrics and singing, but how their inspiration for each track was evident in their songs.   In “Afro Dance,” the song is definitely the happiest, feel-good dance tune of the pack, but the story about how the sisters argued until the very moment of recording made the listeners laugh as they watched the duo act out the song during the listening.  “Post Card” is the album’s most personal track that allows the sisters to connect with family and friends from all over the world including their native land Cameroon, home country France and recording home America.  The most impressive part of the track is the live, tribal drumming by native Cameroonians in which I noticed the sisters demonstrating emotions of pride as the drumming played.  The title track may be a fan favorite, as it were mine, for a few reasons.  The melody and production are signature Les Nubians as if it would become the 2011 English version of “Makeda.”  The musical break towards the end has the duo’s children singing about love as it is the theme song.  What makes the children’s contribution so notable?  They are the muse of Les Nubians’ new album.  As Hélène mentioned, “We had many songs to choose from, but we knew which ones worked once our children sang them over and over.”  Perhaps, other musicians will take notice.

Overall, Nu Revolution speaks about how the world according Les Nubians has changed for the better culturally as they were mostly inspired by President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Check out Nubians’ interview with Black Tree Media as they talk about the inspiration behind Nu Revolution.

Check out their music video of the hit single “Makeda.”