Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
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Artist: Lauryn HillBrand: HILL,LAURYN
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Published)
CD Release Date: 1998-08-25
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- Intro
- Lost Ones
- Ex-Factor
- To Zion
- Doo Wop (That Thing)
- Superstar
- Final Hour
- When It Hurts So Bad
- I Used to Love Him
- Forgive Them Father
- Every Ghetto, Every City
- Nothing Even Matters
- Everything Is Everything
- The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
- Can't Take My Eyes Off You (hidden track)
- Sweetest Thing [Mahogany Mix][*]
Free Music Notes for The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
Free Music Review: Unbelievable
Hit: 5 Stars
For years Lauryn Hill was known as L-Boogie. A dominating and beautiful female rapper whose lyrics were considered as complex as those of rap's elite Tupac, Nas, Rakim, and Guru. Her voice had all the grit, passion, and street sensibility of the most hardcore male rapper, yet she still manager to be beautiful. And L-Boogie could sing too, she could really hold on tune.
When her group the Fugees first came out with Blunted on Reality, they bombed big time and were treated as a joke group. It seems like they switched the sophomore jinx up, experiencing that on their first album, so that when the sophomore album hit, it hit big. They sold more than 17 million copies won several Grammy's and were superstars. Lauryn really demonstrated how beautiful her voice was on the hit remake of Roberto Flack's Killing Me Softly. BUT NOTHING from the Score could have prepared the music community for the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
Instantly it became a classic, with four hit singles, Can't Take My Eyes Off you, Doo Wop (That Thing), Ex-Factor, and Lost One propelling it forward. It's eclectic blend of sounds and styles was genius, but it was that voice, that nearly immaculate voice that propeled Lauryn into the ranks of the great.
The album opens with an intro that shows Lauryn cutting class. When the teacher calls her name, she's no there to say present. This incidicates that what she's about to tell you, are things she couldn't learn in a world of academia alone. These are life lessons.
Next is Lost Ones, usually considered an album opening slice at her bandmate Wyclef Jean, who was usually considered the genius of their group Fugees. She opens with "It's funny how money change the situation, miscommunication leads to complication" Significantly a host of male voice (the Marley Boys, she's married to one of Bob Marley's sons) open this track by repeating her Fugees' name L-Boogie, and you can't help but feel they're saying to indicate her indenpendance. When the Fugees reunited at Dave Chappelle's block party in 2004, she even performed this song: Wyclef sat in a chair strumming his guitar to it, rolling his eyes while Lauryn and Pras walked around him in circles as if directing it to him, perhaps a confirmation that it was intended as a swipe at Wyclef. It's a great political and spiritual message that accompanies this song.
Next is one of the most passionate songs you'll ever encounter. Ex-Factor. Usually famous singers like Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston would start off quiet and then build to a grand crescendo. Lauryn starts off on a grand crescendo and builds to a tidal wave. This song's lyrics are so simple and yet so emotional that they alone can move you, but when coupled with her soulful voice, so thick with emotion that it drips honey coated tears, and sunwashed memories, one can't help by cry along with her, "Who do I have to be to get some reciprocity, see no one loves you more than, and no one ever will".
Next is an ode to her son Zion, named after him. She displays her full three to four octave voice range, and her dynamics going from soft and low to voluminous and loud towards the end of the song. And directly at the end she hits a note so high, you didn't know she had it in her. The martial drums and grand production only serve to highlight her song of how a young mother at the height of fame chose love, even if it might cost her her career. Subsequent events bore witness to the fact that it cost her nothing at all.
Doo Wop (That Thing) is the biggest hit of the album, and not suprisingly one can see why. The backing music is catchy to the point it is infectious, and her lyrics deliver awareness of social issues but still enough street credibility to avoid being preachy, she's just sharing. The chorus is catchy and displays her sweet voice.
The next song Superstar is a call-out to bad rappers and musicians who hands down suck at making music. Her lazy delivery and demeanor on this song is purposeful, as she says, "Music is supposed to inspire, how come we ain't getting no higher".
Final Hour is a display of Lauryn's unique vocabulary and wordplay at it's best. Hands down she's on top of her game, mixing words together in the third verse that you don't expect possible: I'mma get the mozzarella, like a Rockafella, still be in the church of Lalibella, singing hymns a capella, whether posed in Arabela in Couture, or collecting residuals from off the score, I'm making sure I with the 144 (in reference to the 144,000 who will be allowed into heaven), I been here before this ain't a battle this is war". Deep
When It Hurts So Bad is an emotional love-lost song to rival Ex-Factor for emotion and vocal delivery, but it still comes short of Ex-Factor's intensity.
I Used to Love Him is a duet with singer Mary J. Blige about redemption after a lost love
Forgive Them Father is a beautiful song with an absolutely gorgrous vocal delivery. But like Lauryn's hardcore style, she makes it a little rough around the edges by giving it a Jamican reggae feel, a Jamaican speech introduction from Shelly Thunder. In addition, in the credits Lauryn reveals that the music is actually a modern interpretation of Concrete Jungle by her father in-law Bob Marley, and if you listen you'll see that the beat is similar and the music is practically a direct copy except for some subtle changes to make hers unique. A great song here with political and spirtual messages.
Every Ghetto, Every City is a feel good song of nostaligia and days of old, reveling in her childhood years.
Nothing Even Matters is a professio of a love so strong that nothing else matters. A duet with D'Angelo, it reveals their two voices melding together perfectly.
Everything is Everything is a positively charged song with a great message, an absolute infectious party groove, and a dedicated vocal delivery from Lauryn. Current star John Legend provided the piano on this track.
The title track actually completes the album, and you'll see why. Gorgeous piano arpeggios, tremolos, trills, and crescendi (plural for crescendo, yes I'm a musician :-) ) fill out this track complete with strings and a background sound effect that replicates the crackling sound of an old LP giving this record a very nostalgic 60's Sam Cooke Change is Gonna Come, or Bob Dylan Blowing in the Wind feel. Lauryn's vocal delivery here is spectacular here and emotional, giving us a glimpse of things to come from her second album Unplugged: the way she fills out this track with nothing but her voice and a piano is prophetic of the material she will bring 3 years later with the prophetic and revolutionary album, Unplugged 2.0.
The two hidden tracks are Can't Take My Eyes of You, a remake and a beautiful one, and finally Tell Him, a remix of the Sweetest Thing, with the same beat, just made a lil better, new words, new melody, but the same guitar and mellow feel as the Sweetest Thing. One could suffice to say Tell Him is a modern interpretation of the Sweetest Thing.
I've said enough, I believe. Get the album. This is music at it's peak form. It doesn't get any better than this, and it never will. At least I don't think so :-)
-Terrence
The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill Poster
Grammy-winner Lauryn Hill releases her solo debut album, a follow-up to the Fugees's The Score.Genre: Soul/R&B
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 25-AUG-1998
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