Les Nubians - One Step Forward (2003)

posted by record facts

After guest appearances on Guru and Talib Kweli, as well as the Red Hot + Riot collection, Les Nubians finally return with the follow-up to 1998’s Princesses Nubiennes, the most popular French language album stateside in more than a decade. 

One Step Forward has the same Sade-meets-Zap Mama soul groove vibe that sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart are known for, but the duo adds a few new wrinkles to the mix this time around. There’s a distinct reggae influence to songs "El Son Raggae" and "Brothers & Sisters," which features Morgan Heritage. 

Even though their voices are as sassy and sexy as ever, they sing a bit more in English, but French language gems "Amour A Mort" and "J’Veux D’la Musique," two of the album’s strongest tracks, need little translation. For the most part though, One Step Forward is more self assured and richly textured, nicely refining a winning formula that will no doubt enchant the many fans of its predecessor.

The surprise breakthrough of Les Nubians version of Sade's mellow and soulful ballad, "The Sweetest Taboo," helped their American debut, Les Princesses Nubiennes to achieve a higher position on the Billboard charts than any other French-language album in the previous decade. 

 The sweet, seamless harmonies achieved by sisters Helene and Celia Faussart made an already hypnotic song intoxicating. So, it is no surprise that in their follow-up effort, One Step Forward, that those harmonies sung in the same soft, rounded, African-inflected French language would charm in the same way. 

What seems less successful are the English language efforts, especially the radio-friendly first single, "Temperature Rising," which features a stylish, if somewhat out-of-place rap delivered by Talib Kweli that seems grafted on. 

The sisters' trademark smoothness is diminished when they sing in English, which becomes even more obvious on their reggae-flavored duet with Morgan Heritage. 

Here the sisters flow from English to French throughout the song, and you can almost feel them tensing up and straining whenever they switch. 

Thankfully, though, such stumbles are few and far between on the album. Recorded in Jamaica, One Step Forward as a whole has a lulling, laid back, tropical feel that seems to effortlessly encompass jazz, African rhythms, R&B, pop and electronic sounds. 

Track listing

1.  Nu-Hymne - 1:01

2.  Temperature Rising  (Featuring – Talib Kweli) - 4:02

3.  J'Veux D'La Musique (Tout Le Temps...) - 4:28

4.  La Guerre - 7:35

5.  El Son Reggae - 3:52

6.  One Step Forward - 5:50

7.  Brothers & Sisters  (Featuring – Morgan Heritage) - 4:17

8.  Me & Me - 4:53

9.  Take T (Interlude Lounge Intermezzo) - 1:24

10.  Amour À Mort - 5:41

11.  Insomnie - 4:19

12.  Que Le Mot Soit Perle - 5:08

13.  Unfaithful / Si Infidèle - 4:14

14.  Saravah - 4:55

15.  Immortel Cheikh Anta Diop - 5:58

16.  Temperature Rising - 4:01

Credits

• A&R – Thierry Planelle
• Artwork – Sébastien Theurier
• Lyrics By – Célia Faussart , Hélène Faussart 
• Management – J. Ebella
• Mastered By – John Davis 
• Mastered By [Vinyl Cut] – RV-TR
• Mixed By – Lee Hamblin
• Music By – Les Nubians, M. Belkhir 
• Other [Hair] – Hairytaj, Tish
• Other [Makeup] – Justin Henry
• Other [Styling] – Fifi Bell, Yvette Ebengué
• Photography By – Marc Baptiste
• Photography By [Studio] – L.N.F., Renaud De Greef
• Photography [Studio] – Zoé
• Producer – Mounir Belkhir 
• Recorded By – Yves Testé
• Vocals – Célia Faussart, Hélène Faussart

Notes

Release Date: March 25, 2003 

Recording Location:

Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY 

Geejam Studios, Jamaica 

La Ka Studio, Marseille, France 

Sony Music Studios, London, England 

Twin Studios, Paris, France

Genre: R&B, Neo Soul

Styles: Reggae

Duration: 1:10:03 

Label - Virgin