Seriously thinking of leaving Ciao now, just too many problems, too often......off by crimbo, you wi...
Seriously thinking of leaving Ciao now, just too many problems, too often......off by crimbo, you will find me on another well known site, same member name.
Member since:22.06.2004
Reviews:153
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Okay folks, just to show how varied my musical tastes are, I came across this CD whilst transferring all my CD's to itunes (work in progress). I had all but forgotton about it, and now I've been playing it for a good few days, almost without stopping, not every track, but certainly a few. For those that do not know, this was Lauryn Hill's first solo album after the 'Fugees (with Wyclef John). In my opinion she has not done much of note since so:
Track 2. Lost ones. Hate the school register role call at the beginning (listed as track 1), not needed, but then a fantastically bassy drum and guitar beat comes in and she raps/sings over this in perfect timing and it is so catchy I dare you not to tap your feet. 7/10.
Then we get another 'snippet' of school to end and then introduce the next track, gawd knows why.
Track 3. Ex-Factor. Big hit in USA and UK, pure R&B nice slow beat and great angsty vocal from Lauryn, with a nice 'shadow' voice over, really good, strong piece of heartfelt singing and writing. Unbelievably good guitar solo near the end that is very rock like yet just seems to fit well. 8/10.
Track 4. To Zion. Nice guitar solo and voice over at the beginning and a break into an almost Latin beat which develops
into a song that is really breathtaking in how it tells the story of her pregnancy, really, really clever. She then builds the sng into an almost gospel liek vocal, great range, fantastic music to back it too. 9/10.
Track 5. Doo Wop, (that thing). Probably the best known track on the album, very neat, all about how boys and girls approach sex, hip hop, no, doo wop, no R&B. When this came out I thought it was a weak link, in retrospect it is damn good, and very clever. So catchy it sticks in your head for ages. 9/10.
Track 6. Superstar. To me this is not the best of the bunch, great vocals again though, and a good 'story' asking questions of the music industry and what it means to (black) artistes, just in terms of the rest of the album not the best. Good mixing with 'light my fire' clever. 6/10.
Track 7. Final hour. "I treat this like my thesis"....and the rap begins and it is a damn good rap at that, lyrical, musical and soft in tone, hard in story, how to break out of the ghetto, with a religeous undertone. Brilliant. 9/10.
Track 8. When it hurts so bad. Another stonking R&B number, all love, angst n heart. Not my favourite, but I can see it packing the dance floor late on in the evening for some serious chin on shoulder. 7/10.
Track 9. I used to love him. More R&B, all about a split up, with some added vocals from Mary J Blige, very angsty in a soulful way, okay, not great. 6/10.
Track 10. Forgive them father. To me the best song on the whole CD. A mixture of rap, soulful singing, dub like vocals. I cannot work out whether she is down on men in power, music bosses, or just men in general, but it is certainly a powerful song. She throws in bits like Soweto, Cain and Abel, wow. "Caeser and Bruts, Jesus and Judas, backstabbers do this"....what a line. great. 10/10.
Track 11. Every Ghetto, every City. Off we go on another musical journey, this time a strong 70's funk backing, supporting Luryn telling her story of growing up. 7/10.
Track 12. Nothing even matters. Now soul, pure n simple, lovely song, lyrically quite weak but musically it is a 'dreamy' song, almost Mowtown meets trance. I do like this, vocal additions from D'Angelo, very relaxing. 8/10.
Track 13. Everything is everything. Song all about being a strong, positive woman, again, strong 70's funk/blues riff, with a hip hop style talk over and some soulful vocals. 7/10.
Track 14. The miseducation of Lauryn Hill. And now to a jazzy backing and vocal, with a soulful blend, an 'old record' scratchy sound deliberately included, kinda works. Very diva like vocals, great piano, showcase of her voice, love it. 9/10.
Bonus track (14.) Can't take my eyes off of you. To a very Fugees' hip hop beat, really works, takes a cheesy classic and makes it modern and funky, some great vocals, yet again. Another massive foot tapper. To me the best version of this song ever. period. 9/10.
Bonus track (15). Sweetest thing. Clearly time in the studio, or trying to sound like it. Very soulful, very 'nice' almost sung like a prayer. Sounds a bit like Aretha Franklin, but smoother. 8/10
Overall, the thing I like most about this album is the 'cleverness' of it all. It does not stick to Soul, or R&B, or hip hop, or rap, or funk; it has a bit of everything.
Musically and vocally, probably one of the best and strongest 10 CD's in the last decade (1998). This is not my favoured style of music, nor is she my favourite artiste, but this is such a strong album it stands out any day.
A definite 'must have' for any music collection, suspend your likes of other genres and give this a listen, you can't not like it. To finish, you can pick this up on amazon or ebay for a couple of quid, believe me, you will not regret it. Remember this album won grammy's for: Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album,and Album of the Year in 1999.
Also posted on Dooyoo, same member name.
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Good review...probably one of my all time favourite albums. Her MTVunplugged is good too :)
xdonzx 08.06.2008 22:32
Great Review! x
tom1clare 08.06.2008 12:27
Gah all those interludes (in the album, not the review lol), but Doo Wop That Thing and Everything is Everything were super tracks, showing she has quite a diverse range of abilities. :) tom
After the massive success of the Fugees'The Score, the popularity of any Refugee Camp solo ... more
project was guaranteed. No one, however, was prepared for the massive response to Lauryn Hill's debut album. Apart from the chart-topping singles "Doo Wop (That ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
After the massive success of the Fugees' The Score, the popularity of any Refugee Camp ... more
solo project was guaranteed. No one, however, was prepared for the massive response to Lauryn Hill's debut album. Apart from the chart-topping singles "Doo Wop (That...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Intro Lost Ones Ex-Factor To Zion - (featuring Carlos Santana) Doo Wop (That Thing) ... more
Superstar Final Hour When It Hurts So Bad I Used To Love Him - (featuring Mary J Blige) Forgive Them Father Every Ghetto Every City Nothing Even Matters - (featuring D...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Jun 7th, 2008
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