LAURYN HILL - THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL

Lauryn Hill's name floated around all through the 90s. Right up until this album came out. I'd seen her in 'Sister Act 2' and I knew the Fugees; so she was around. I knew her voice. I liked it. But it wasn't until I saw the video for 'Doo Wop (That Thing)' that I fell for her. Maybe it was the bouncing or the split screen, but I was hooked.

I'm quite attracted to her blend of various styles. Mixing gospel, hip hop, rap, r&b, soul, funk, reggae and pop... She's all over the board. And throughout the entire disc, she never falters in her mission. One must also applaud the single choices. She picked the strongest tracks to release and promote the record. The production, marketing and distribution of this cd was right on the money. Everything seemed to work like clockwork and she was at the top of her game!

My single complaint is the segues... Some teacher, (obviously there to accentuate the miseducation theme), trying to lead an open discussion about what kids know of love. Ridiculous. It's interesting as a study of different popular social concepts of love, but redundant in the context of this cd. It distracts from the content and slows the pace of the album greatly.

My final word: DIVALICIOUS. I feel this disc earns Ms. Hill a Diva spot in popular music. Even though she's avoided the status fame offers, her voice affirms she's the genuine article. If she never embraces her place in pop's royalty; we still have this shining promise that more was yet to come. The promise of a powerful voice and talent unfulfilled. If you missed it when it came out, you missed a spiritual calling... A movement... Do yourself a favor and pick it up today. What were you thinking?????

LAURYN HILL - THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL
01. Intro
02. Lost Ones
03. Ex-Factor
04. To Zion
05. Doo Wop (That Thing)
06. Superstar
07. Final Hour
08. When It Hurts So Bad
09. I Used To Love Him
10. Forgive Them Father
11. Every Ghetto, Every City
12. Nothing Even Matters
13. Everything Is Everything
14. The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
15. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You (Hidden Track)
16. Tell Him (Hidden Track)