Rising star of Keb R&B, as the saying goes about Naïma Frank, which is confirmed with this attractive and, above all, very creative 18 ans et + (18 and over).
The Montrealer of Haitian origin built her reputation quietly, starting with a mini album in 2022 (Petite fille devient grande), which was very well received, and then touring festivals and competitions. On January 30th, she truly launched herself with an album filled with introspection, intimate revelations, and a particularly stimulating alt-electro framework.
The latter reveals itself in the majority of tracks adorned with refined, creative, and carefully coloured digital embellishments. Joue avec mon corps (Play with My Body) kicks off the ball in sumptuous velvet that recalls the Morcheeba era. Elsewhere, a molecular profusion of fragmented textures accompanies broad and sensual melodies (Ainsi soit-il; La fin; Dans ma tête).
Entre Stromae et Karim Ouellet
We think of the kind of constructions bubbling with details like those of Stromae, to which we add texts in spiritual symbiosis like those of the late Karim Ouellet. Which is, let’s admit it, quite high up. In fact, it is in these moments that the lady is by far the most interesting and promising for the future of French-speaking keb music. Some much more pop songs, like Félicité, which are nevertheless endorsed by mainstream media, seem much less striking to me.
Some songs are particularly touching, like Le même amour, an ode to the beloved Daddy and the sacrifice made to give his children a future. Throughout the album, Naïma demonstrates humility and transparency on deeply personal and highly emotional subjects: love, rejection, the quest for identity.
18 ans et + is an album that showcases an early musical maturity.
Launch:
At Pantoum in Quebec City on March 19 and
At Ministère in Montreal on March 24
