Nu

Singer Christian Decamps (of Ange fame) delivered with Nu a very strong record. Even though it's been released by the 1990s progressive rock label Musea, Nu is really a rock album with a passing fondness for progressive stylings, although it is closer to vintage Ange than anything from the band's 1980s output. Decamps penned all lyrics and music, except for one song signed Tristan Decamps, his son, who also sings and plays keyboards on a few tracks, hence the album being billed as Christian Decamps et Fils (and son). Lyrics tell tales of old times and more recent urban legends. Decamps was and always will be a storyteller. Arrangements were left to guitarist Jean-Pascal Boffo who did a great job, putting violin and cello on some tracks, using keyboards and guitars to give a few songs the kind of body classic Ange favored. Decamps is in great shape and puts his heart in his singing. Highlights include "L'Héritage," the story of a man splitting his belongings between his three sons, the neo-prog "Pierrot, la Lune a Soif" and the beautiful spacy number "Paysans et Cosmonautes." Even though Decamps has been putting out albums on a regular basis with or without Ange since the early '70s, it is easy to understand why Nu was perceived as a comeback. Its vitality makes up for a number of bland discs previously released. ~ François Couture, Rovi