By bluesactu.com 
Ten years after forming, The SuperSoul Brothers are preparing a new album. At Rhino Festival, the band gave the audience an exclusive preview of its songs. David Noël tells us about the record, due out in the spring, his work with Claire Rousselot-Paillez and the moments that have shaped the band’s history. A video interview filmed by Tibo Degraeuwe, plus three exclusive live videos!
The SuperSoul Brothers on camera
Interview by Cédric Vernet, filmed by Tibo Degraeuwe at Rhino Festival.
You’re playing at Rhino Festival tonight. What would you like the audience to feel as they leave the show?
I want people to leave with a smile and a lighter heart, full of groove, love and music. That’s what drives us, and that’s what soul music is about. If we can share that feeling with the audience, it would be wonderful.
What will you be playing tonight? Will there be songs from the new album?
Tonight is special: the band is celebrating its tenth anniversary, and we’re releasing a new album next spring. The Rhino audience will get an exclusive first listen to all the new songs.
“Gimme Some Soul” live at Rhino Festival
You told me this album was going to “make some noise”. What can you tell us about it?
I think it will surprise people. The sound of the record is quite incredible. We recorded it live, with contributions from all our friends. It builds on By the Way, with even more personality and groove. And if I were to give you one clue: it’s going to be very funky.
“Getting on stage is already, in a way, a political act.”
Soul often speaks of love and sharing, but it can also carry a political message. Is that true of this record?
It’s always been true for us. Getting on stage is already, in a way, a political act. What we stand for is living together. The record talks about the state of the world, but above all about how we can find a way through it. That’s something we don’t hear enough of today.
The band is celebrating its tenth anniversary. What goes through your mind when you look back?
How quickly time flies! It all started with a slightly crazy conversation in a car park after a gig. Someone said to me: “I’d love to do something with you.” I replied: “Yes, but it’ll be 100% soul.”
Ten years later, here we are, with four albums under our belt. We love meeting people and crossing borders. We still have the same drive and the same desire to get on stage.
It feels like a human story too, a family of soul brothers and sisters. Am I right?
That’s exactly it. We come from different backgrounds and have different points of view, but there’s so much that brings us together. These days, we don’t talk enough about what unites people. Love is part of that. It’s this combination of music and love that keeps us going. We’re a real family, and we spend a lot of time together on the road.
“We work and write together.”
There’s a real connection between you and Claire Rousselot-Paillez. How did you work together on this record? Has your approach changed over the past ten years?
We work and write together, as a whole band. It comes naturally. That sense of unity grows with every song and every show. An instinctive understanding develops. Our connection isn’t forced: it gets stronger over time. And that’s true of all the musicians. We’re all songwriters and composers.
“By the Way” live at Rhino Festival
If you had to choose three highlights from those ten years, what would they be?
First, signing with Dixiefrog during lockdown. Just as everything was coming to a halt, a light came on for us. It gave us an incredible boost.
Then, opening for Toto. What a memory! And then I’d choose all our shows. Whatever the size of the venue, what matters is the human connection and what stays with the audience.
What did you dare to try on this record that you might not have attempted ten years ago?
Wait until it comes out, and listen closely to the arrangements!
What’s the next step? When will we hear a first track?
The album was being mastered yesterday, so the mastering is now done. It’s due out in the spring, and we’ll announce the date soon. Stay tuned: you’ll find out its title very soon, along with the other surprises we have in store.