Fans of Zap Mama, Sade and/or Soul II Soul will probably flip for this sister duo from Bordeaux, France. Though they tend to get billed as a hip-hop act, their music is much more complex than that: it's smooth like Sade (but much more melodically interesting), bass-heavy like Soul II Soul (but much more lyrically interesting), and "Afropean" like Zap Mama (but much less interesting; sorry ladies). "Demain", the lead-off track on
Princesses Nubiennes, is a smooth jazz groove that is more tasty than nourishing, but there's a fair amount of both textural and lyrical complexity to "
Makeda". "Tabou" is actually an adapted (and, frankly, much improved) version of Sade's "Sweetest Taboo" that features some excellent French rapping. "Embrasse-Moi" is both excruciatingly sexy and highly rhythmically sophisticated. Sure, they have a mildly distressing tendency to layer everything with an ultra-smooth surface sheen, but it's forgivable; chances are good that they'll rough things up a bit as they mature. In the meantime, just give up and wallow in the succulent loveliness of tracks like "Demain" and "
Les Portes du Souvenir".
Princesses Nubiennes review by allmusic.com