According to singer Alexander Zelkin, there was "an awakening of Qu+ªbec"s consciousness of its own culture" at the time of La Belle Province Qu+ªbec"s release, manifested both in the arts and political movements: Zelkin characterizes the province as tied to its French roots more than to Canada. The album, which was originally released by Monitor Records in 1990, features Zelkin and Denise B+ªrard performing modern arrangements of French-Canadian folk music, with instrumental accompaniment. The liner notes include both the French lyrics and Zelkin"s commentary in English.