Lauryn Hill
The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill

THE REVIEW

Every time an album by a black female artist is released, everyone shouts - She's the new queen of R'n'B! It's happened to everyone from Mary J Blige to Alicia Keys, from Beyoncé to Kelis, Ashanti, etc. There is only one queen and it's definitely Lauryn Hill. "The Miseducation of L. H.," her only solo effort, truly set the standard with its brilliant insights, respect for black tradition, and great personality. The Grammy-winning woman had a huge pressure and legacy on her fragile shoulders, the Fugees project which created a masterpiece, "The Score," for the entire African-American music culture and beyond, so Hill couldn't afford any mistakes. In '98, she does not disappoint expectations with an album entirely written, produced, and arranged by her and leaves the other "refugees" Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel eating dust as they also released solo albums. To be placed alongside the masterpieces of great masters (Wonder, Gaye, Franklin, etc.), "The Miseducation of..." is undoubtedly a concept album that explores all genres of Black Music: for example, the initial "Lost Ones," "Final Hour," "Everything Is Everything," and the first single "Doo Wop (That Thing)" are purely Hip-Hop inspired where the lyrics are sharp and delivered with the firmness of a true preacher.

Like any respectable black album, it does not lack the famous "featuring," artists that Hill chooses with great criteria and professionalism and not because they are high on the Billboard Chart: Santana saves and enriches a weak piece like "To Zion" which Lauryn dedicates to her daughter, Mary J Blige shows she is not inferior when it comes to interpreting "I Used To Love Him," the Reggae surge of "Forgive Them Father" sees the participation of Shelly Thunder to jointly interpret "Concrete Jungle" by B. Marley, and the intense D'Angelo tackles the super-soul "Nothing Even Matters." Examples of contemporary R'n'B are found in gems like "When It Hurts So Bad" and the cover of "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" which, for the first time, does not sound like a Viareggio carnival song. The key tracks of the album, the deepest and most touching, and most suited to her voice are undoubtedly the Soul tracks like "Ex-Factor," the ghost track "Tell Him," and "The Miseducation Of L. H." which makes us feel how it would sound if it had been recorded on vinyl almost as if she is bitter about having released it on CD. The only flaw is the prolixity of the work (77, 45 min); perhaps Lauryn thought it wise to give us a lot of material in a single album to fill the gap of those eight years of absence. Brilliant is the intuition of inserting interludes between one track and another where you can hear the everyday life of an American school classroom where a teacher questions the students about the meaning of life and love. At the end of the semester, Lauryn Hill will pass the exams with full marks even if she will be given a demerit for vandalizing the classroom desk with her self-portrait (see cover).