Wyclef Jean Album: “Presents the Carnival Featuring the Refugee Allstars”

I am not a fan of rap or hip-hop music. I like a wide range of music--Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews, Bob Marley, Coldplay, The Cure, The Who, Beastie Boys, Janis Joplin, etc.

Wyclef's updated version of "Stayin' Alive" was so catchy, so addictive, and so fresh that it made me want to buy the CD. I'm so glad I did.

Before buying this CD, I thought Wyclef Jean was a rap or hip artist. But in this CD, Wyclef Jean transcends musical categories. He fuses together reggae, Caribbean music, rap, hip-hop, and other genres. His music is funky, political, and soulful. The CD contains ballads, unique instrumental blends, raps, and dance-your-ass off tunes.

Although I don't speak Creole (Haitian Creole), his songs in Creole have beautiful melodies and vocal accompaniments.

The lyrics are brilliant. He sings about political strife in Haiti: famine, gunfire, revenge, and Haitians immigrating to the USA by sea in rafts. And some of his lyrics aren't profound, but funky and fun.

I bought this CD four or five years ago, and still love it. I pull it out every month or two. Each time I re-play the CD, it kicks ass as much as it did the first time I listened to it. The CD is an old friend. It's evolved. I've smoked [...] while listening to the CD, roadtripped to it, danced to it, worked out to it, and just simply listened to it alone or with friends while chilling out in the living room.

It is a great CD and Wyclef is a fabulous artist. Unlike a lot of other artists, he has something to say, and he sings it well.

Solid five stars. There are so many solid songs on this album, it is just unbelievable.

Some background: I have cherished the Fugees' album The Score as one of the greatest musical achievements of pop music. Unfortunately, the Fugees broke up, and Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill branched off into solo careers. The brightest example of that Fugees heritage is this very album. If you have not heard Fugees, you should get The Score, it preps you for this masterpiece.

The lyrics and the beats are super tight. The interlude skits will be familiar to Fugees fans. While the Fugees were a little more laid back and emphasized mellody over beats, here rhythm is the king.

I will not get into the specific songs etc because others have commented already. This is an amazing album, and Wyclef puts most other rappers to shame with this gem. You ought to hear this.

The Carnival posesses possibly the most creative musical production of any Hip Hop album during the 90s. It's not a surprise because of Wyclef Jean's diverse musical outings, from hip hop, Latin American, reggae, haitian, calypso, rock, and everything in between. I can't say if there is any large Hip Hop star that has the cultural insightfulness and diversity that Wyclef has. Being Caribbean myself I'm in love for the fact that he has patios lyricism displayed here. I would love to see him team up with France's superhero MC Solaar. The album is less serious than the Score, which it is otherwise a general follow-up, including a more comical feel. But this isn't to say this is 3feet High and Rising Part II, it's got it's share of introspective and serious topics. Overall it's a masterpiece, however I took a five star away because I am convince that Wyclef Jean was holding back. He could have included more intellectual lyrics on the album than he did. Otherwise, if you want the ultimate Hip Hop collection then you MUST own this album.

I'm not a big hip-hop fan, staying closer to the alternative rock music I listened to in high school and college most of the time, but this album has blown me away. Every song is thoughtful and gets my body moving. Wyclef is a talent to be reckoned with and I can't wait to hear his next album.

When the Fugees hit big with 'The Score' they all got a chance to launch successful solo carreer's. Lauren Hill got both immediate reviewer and public success with 'The miseducation of ..', Pras got great sales with his project 'Ghetto Superstar' and Wyclef got almost no attention with 'The Carnival', except from the song 'Gone 'til November'.

When it comes to judging these debut records, Wyclef wins in all aspects: Wyclef knowns how to build a good melody up, and he knows how to mix genres, he delivers his rhymes with an ease that seems rare, and even though they aren't always the smoothest, they are never bad. On some songs Wyclef sings wholeheartedly as you would only expect it from Stevie Wonder, and on others he is joking as a mild version version of ODB. The versatile rapstar switches with ease between rap, singing and brilliant guest performances. Wyclef's debut album certainly keeps it's listening value whereas the hit records of Pras and Lauren are easily forgotten.

I see two reasons the later Wyclef albums doesn't reach the level of 'The Carnival'. 1: It seems that he has spend a lot more time and energy on melodies 'The Carnival'. 2: In 'The Carnival' Wyclef keeps an ironic distance to the ganster attitude in the MTV hip-hop culture. Later he adopts this attitude and that certainly doesn't suit him: It takes the heart out of his music. He has got to lose the ganster attitude completely if he wants make an album at the level of this.

"It's got to be more gangster, more powerful, more drugs." Wyclef says on Carnival. I disagree on all three.