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Post by Shireblogger on May 17, 2015 8:07:08 GMT 1
The last four Haven Classic Albums have dated from 1977-1980, so I thought I'd jump a generation for the next choice. We're also rather light on female artists, and don't seem to stray far from the types of albums that NME and Q readers are likely to deem classics.
Hence, my latest selection is "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill".
Released in 1998, it received rave reviews, rapidly set American sales records and won multiple awards. It has since appeared on many "Best Albums..." lists, but what does Haven think ?
(We are reviewing the original 14-track release)
1. "Intro" 0:47
2. "Lost Ones" 5:33
3. "Ex-Factor" 5:26
4. "To Zion" (featuring Carlos Santana) 6:08
5. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" 5:19
6. "Superstar" 4:56
7. "Final Hour" 4:15
8. "When It Hurts So Bad" 5:42
9. "I Used to Love Him" (featuring Mary J. Blige) 5:39
10. "Forgive Them Father" 5:15
11. "Every Ghetto, Every City" 5:14
12. "Nothing Even Matters" (featuring D'Angelo) 5:49
13. "Everything Is Everything" 4:58
14. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" 4:17
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Post by o on May 17, 2015 10:18:42 GMT 1
Nice to choose something a bit different, but I dont remember liking any of her singles, so this could be a real drag to listen to, or an unearthed gem, we shall see.
Cheers Shireb.
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meister
Member
*Toy Soldier*
Posts: 1,336 
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Post by meister on May 20, 2015 11:02:08 GMT 1
This also had the very excellent "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" as a hidden track. The highlight of the whole album in my opinion. I loved the singles from this... "Doo Wop" and "Everything Is Everything". Great memories of sunny days in 98/99. Nice crossover catchy RnB, but with the edge and credibility that Lauryn is known for. "Ex-Factor" was also a good laid back track. * by the way I know I'm no longer in on the reviews but just thought I'd add my 2 cents worth.  |
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Post by Earl Purple on May 20, 2015 16:14:15 GMT 1
everything that started going wrong with music...
We had Britpop. Britain rocked. Then this dross came along..
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TheThorne
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*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,516
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Post by TheThorne on May 23, 2015 7:34:45 GMT 1
everything that started going wrong with music... We had Britpop. Britain rocked. Then this dross came along.. Bit harsh there has always been rnb in the chart and before that it was called soul I guess , she is one of the better acts and anyway she is an ex fugee who were in the charts alongside Brit pop but not something I would chart or buy but I wouldn't turn her off  much worse music in the charts that year than her. |
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Post by -Big Dan- on May 23, 2015 9:50:57 GMT 1
Just had a quick flick through the album on Youtube. It's not entirely to my tastes, admittedly, but far more so now than it would have been back when it was released. I guess artists like the excellent Janelle Monae have had an effect on me in that respect.
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meister
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*Toy Soldier*
Posts: 1,336
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Post by meister on May 26, 2015 6:25:55 GMT 1
Like I said she was a good crossover. I'm not into all that hiphop / rap "uh yeah", "one two", but Lauryn's stuff at least had good hooks and melodies. I never bought the album, but did get a free copy off a friend. I only ever listened to the singles and hidden track.
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vastar iner
Member
I am the poster on your wall
Posts: 17,427
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Post by vastar iner on May 28, 2015 23:08:33 GMT 1
Will have to listen to this next month - will be offline for the next fortnight. June is looking to be the month from hell workwise...
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Post by o on May 31, 2015 19:12:29 GMT 1
Who's up for June? I have listened to half of this and will force myself to listen to the rest, maybe tonight while BGT is on  |
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Post by raliverpool on Jun 1, 2015 21:24:46 GMT 1
So to recap: The New Jersey born USA teen star of the television soap opera As the World Turns and young co-star in the film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, is invited to by Pras Michel to start a band, with his cousin, Wyclef Jean, soon joined. They renamed themselves the Fugees and released two studio albums, Blunted on Reality (1994) and the Grammy Award-winning The Score (1996) largely thanks to its definitive rendition of the hit "Killing Me Softly" featuring Lauryn's joyful soulful vocals. However, Hill ended her relationship with Wyclef Jean (the Will.I.Am of the 1990s), but only after she had met Rohan Marley (a son of the late reggae legend Bob Marley and a former University of Miami football player) and began a relationship with him, while still also involved with Jean. Hill became pregnant, and in August 1997, Marley and Hill's first child, Zion David, was born.
Hill recorded and produced her solo record The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill from late 1997 through June 1998 at Tuff Gong Studios in Jamaica from a stockpile of 30 songs. It's title was inspired by The Mis-Education of the Negro book by Carter G. Woodson. The neo soul hip hop reggae fusion album featured contributions from D'Angelo, Carlos Santana, Mary J. Blige and (the at the time unknown) John Legend; with lyrical content dealing with motherhood, the Fugees, reminiscence, love, heartbreak, and God.
Hence we come to this album (#. "Track" length - Rating out of 10):
No. Title Length
1. "Intro" 0:47
2. "Lost Ones" 5:33 - 9.0 A brilliant MC rap by Hill attacking the masculine attitudes of her former bandmates in the FuGees that certainly puts the fat dancer from Take That to shame, over a taut R&B rap track.
3. "Ex-Factor" 5:26 - 10.0 An emotional kiss off over telling her former lover (Wyclef Jean) to stop giving her emotional baggage in her new relationship, over a track that sounds like something Stevie Wonder would have come up with in 1974 had he collaborated with Al Green for Chaka Khan to sing.
4. "To Zion" (featuring Carlos Santana) 6:08 - 10.0 A double meaning whammy of a song bringing the Immaculate Conception overtones to her son's imminent birth. Just a wonderful gospel soulful track over a trip hop beat.
5. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" 5:19 -10.0 The USA #1 & UK #2 hit 1960s soul track given a late 1990s makeover warning to African-American men and women caught in 'the struggle'. Both the women who 'try to be a hardrock when they really are a gem', and the men who are 'more concerned with his rims, and his Timbs, than his women', are admonished by Hill, who warns them not to allow 'that thing', whatever it may be, to ruin their lives." This song ranked #1 in my Personal Charts of 1998.
6. "Superstar" 4:56 - 7.5 A drop in pace and in quality, as the lyrics tell the old musical mantra of staying true to yourself, and not to sell out over something that sounds like it belongs on a 1970s Roberta Flack or Minnie Ripperton album.
7. "Final Hour" 4:15 - 8.0 Over a musical bed that belongs to a 1973 album by Sly & The Family Stone or Curtis Mayfield, Hill's MC skills advises that "even with money, even with the power, in the final hour you have to be made aware of your sins" because God is judging you.
8. "When It Hurts So Bad" 5:42 - 7.0 The musical DNA of Salaam Remi is all over this track, which explains why it sounds like it belongs to an Amy Winehouse album.
9. "I Used to Love Him" (featuring Mary J. Blige) 5:39 - 7.5 A song about reclaiming your self-worth and self-respect, over a beat that sounds like it belongs to a Nas or Wu-Tang Clan album with song old school 1940s R&B harmonies.
10. "Forgive Them Father" 5:15 - 6.0 A decent musical and lyrical update of Bob Marley's Concrete Jungle having a pop at those who criticize her relationship with one of Marley's sons.
11. "Every Ghetto, Every City" 5:14 - 6.0 A very Stevie Wonder-esque boogie track, about her reminiscing about her childhood and upbringing in the late 1980s.
12. "Nothing Even Matters" (featuring D'Angelo) 5:49 - 5.5 A slow jam straight forward song about love, which sounds like the track Prince seems to do on virtually every album he releases where he sings in falsetto about doing it with his lover. Thankfully, in Lauryn Hill & D'Angelo's hands this is rather better than that.
13. "Everything Is Everything" 4:58 - 9.5 A taut hip hop soul R&B song about injustice and struggles amongst African-American youth communities in inner city America which Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, and James Brown would be proud of.
14. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" 4:17 - 8.5 After playing piano on the previous track Hill used the teenage John Legend to sign post his future output on this soaring soulful evocative title track, which is rather ironic compared to what Lauryn Hill has done since.
15. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" 3:41 - 8.0 Those of us who bought the UK version of the album have this coming on a bonus track after the title track. It literally feels like the film credits after watching a movie, which was Hill's intention of including this cover of the Frankie Valli 1967 pop standard which most sounds like her former band's output.
Overall 8 (112.5 / 14 = 80.36% (76%-81% category)).
Remember in 1998 Brit Pop was imploding in the aftermath of Oasis, Blur, Pulp, & Suede releasing underwhelming albums, with the likes of Menswear, Space, Dodgy, & Shed Seven in the charts whilst The Verve were having huge success albeit with the two lead singles being about as original in composition as the average X-Factor contestants audition song. Pop music was making a comeback for the first time in nearly a decade thanks to the Spice Girls, and Robbie Williams had gone Britpop-lite thanks to his catty lyrics and Guy Chambers songsmithery. Hence, by default The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was my #1 Year End ranked album (just ahead of Madonna's Ray Of Light) although it suffered like many albums of that era from the artistic need to fill the CD length up with a lot of filler, it rightfully got nominated for 10 Grammys, and won 5 including becoming the first R'n'B hip hop album to win Album Of The Year. One thing is certain it is a far better, more consistent studio album than anything Beyonce will ever manage.
A similar album that I rate very highly which had similar success in the Grammys was Alicia Keys - Songs In A Minor
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Post by Mic1812 on Jun 5, 2015 20:01:58 GMT 1
Strangely i bought this on cd for the first time last week on a car boot for 20p. It was one i never really thought about buying at the time as i dont particularly like this style of music.
The cd itself registers 16 tracks. The same 15 as listed above in one of the posts. So im happy its got Cant Take My Eyes Off You but im buggered if i know what the other hidden track is.
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Post by ManicKangaroo on Jun 6, 2015 2:58:32 GMT 1
Strangely i bought this on cd for the first time last week on a car boot for 20p. It was one i never really thought about buying at the time as i dont particularly like this style of music. The cd itself registers 16 tracks. The same 15 as listed above in one of the posts. So im happy its got Cant Take My Eyes Off You but im buggered if i know what the other hidden track is. According to wikipedia its a track called Tell Him en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miseducation_of_Lauryn_Hill#Track_listing |
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Post by Mic1812 on Jun 6, 2015 15:15:13 GMT 1
Strangely i bought this on cd for the first time last week on a car boot for 20p. It was one i never really thought about buying at the time as i dont particularly like this style of music. The cd itself registers 16 tracks. The same 15 as listed above in one of the posts. So im happy its got Cant Take My Eyes Off You but im buggered if i know what the other hidden track is. According to wikipedia its a track called Tell Him en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miseducation_of_Lauryn_Hill#Track_listingCheers James. I'll make a post it note of that and put it inside the sleeve. |
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Post by o on Jun 7, 2015 20:12:01 GMT 1
1. "Intro" 0:47 Introduces the album 4/10
2. "Lost Ones" 5:33 Repetitive and noisy, moments of okness. 3/10
3. "Ex-Factor" 5:26 Better, calmer, more melodic and laid back, nice bit of guitar to end it. 5/10
4. "To Zion" (featuring Carlos Santana) 6:08 The guitar theme continues with Carlos Santana, becomes annoying along with words being repeated and wailing. 2/10
5. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" 5:19 Wasn’t keen on this at the time, that hasn’t changed, but at least it has a melody and no shouting. 4/10
6. "Superstar" 4:56 Just a bit dull, filler? 2/10
7. "Final Hour" 4:15 Heading rapidly downhill! 1/10
8. "When It Hurts So Bad" 5:42 Is this the same percussion in the background to the last 4 tracks? 2/10
9. "I Used to Love Him" (featuring Mary J. Blige) 5:39 I’m just running out of words really, will it ever end? 1/10
10. "Forgive Them Father" 5:15 Has that backing track not worn out yet? 1/10
11. "Every Ghetto, Every City" 5:14 I’m never getting this time back am I? 1/10
12. "Nothing Even Matters" (featuring D'Angelo) 5:49 Nothing even matters at all, I get that feeling with this track, I wish I had bothered, we lose the repetitive backing track and acquire annoying clicking fingers. 0/10
13. "Everything Is Everything" 4:58 It’s like they consulted the book of pointless lyrics, nothing even matters, everything is everything, la la la zzz 1/10
14. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" 4:17 Pointless wailing 0/10
= 2 and that feels very generous, this is the worst album I’ve had to endure.
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Post by Jordan on Jun 7, 2015 20:49:54 GMT 1
One of my all time favourite albums. Ex-Factor is just one of those songs I can also switch on.
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Post by Shireblogger on Jun 13, 2015 16:22:21 GMT 1
Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation Of…
Context
I quite liked several Fugees singles, but never bought any of their albums. Lauryn Hill’s debut album received rave reviews, prompting Shirebloggess to buy it. I listened a couple of times, and thought it was OK. A re-appraisal for Haven has warmed me to its merits.
3/10
General Overview
The hip hop beats that drive this album are of the gentle, rolling variety. Lauryn has a beautiful, soulful voice for which she rarely gets sufficient credit. The subject matter is interesting. And so this all adds up to becoming one of my favourite rap albums, in a genre which I find challenging to access.
6/10
Intro & Outro
A school room roll call. And Lauryn Hill is missing, presumably out making music and trouble. “Lost Ones” is a strong opener, with a pleasing reggae vibe, and a message which sets the tone of the album. Unfortunately, the last two tracks on the album are hidden, and I hate the concept of hidden tracks. The penultimate offering is a passable cover of the Four Seasons’ “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”, but closer “Tell Him” is one of the worst tracks, and should have stayed hidden, in the studio.
4/10
Music
This album makes decent background music. You could play it whilst hosting a dinner party. And I can’t think of any other hip hop albums which aren’t so jarring that you are forced either to actively listen to them, or to turn them off. “The Miseducation Of…” bridges the gap between soul and rap better than any other album I’ve ever heard.
6/10
Lyrics
A Lauryn Hill forte. Songs of love and heartbreak, family and faith, inspiration and instruction. She’s street (obviously), and whilst she doesn’t have anything profound to say, she is smart, with words which work for a middle-aged British white guy (i.e. me). “Don’t be a hardrock, when you’re really a gem”; “Loving you is like a battle, and we both end up with scars”. Plus, there’s not much swearing.
7/10
Production & Sound
The sleeve says “produced, written, arranged and produced by Lauryn Hill”. That’s a huge achievement in a male dominated sector. And she is very good. The production balance is perfect, and she has resisted the temptation to overplay her own vocals, overstretch the samples, and over-engineer the album. It is just lovely to listen to.
8/10
High Points
“Doo Wop (That Thing)” is foot-tappingly strong, and fully deserved to be a Top 3 single, whilst “Ex-Factor” captures all of the albums strengths in one track. I also like the nods to Prince, the Doors and Bob Marley, and no doubt many others that I haven’t noticed.
6/10
Low Points
The second half of the album rather drags, having run out of things to say and do. It isn’t bad, but with the exception of “Forgive Them Father” and “Everything Is Everything”, I could happily live without the last 40 minutes. “The Miseducation Of…” is one of many examples of albums which would have been much better in the 45 minute vinyl format, instead of the 70 minute CD era.
3/10
Packaging
Very good. An instantly recognisable cover, with Lauryn’s visage carved into a schoolroom desk lid, in keeping with the introductory theme. Superbly detailed sleevenotes with lyrics, and some low key but appealing black and white photos.
8/10
On balance
I really need to think of this as a modern soul album, not a hip hop cross-over release. Lauryn is a prodigious talent; a great songwriter with a truly wonderful voice. This is a much better album than I originally realised back in 1998/99. If only it had been vigorously pruned before release.
7/10
TOTAL SCORE
I know it hasn’t hit you yet.
58/100.
For Haven:
6/10
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vastar iner
Member
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Posts: 17,427
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Post by vastar iner on Jun 24, 2015 8:30:08 GMT 1
OK. Let’s have a go with this. 80 minutes long, money’s worth.
Starts with a register. Maybe this is a concept album. Miseducation. I get it. I’m guessing that this is not really listened to by anyone after the first time they bought the album. Before a warm beat pops up. A hip hop take on Hal Blaine’s drumbeat. The rap is very Caribbean style. It’s not the sort of thing that is to my taste, but I can’t turn away from it; the repetition and sparse backing hypnotises me into continual listening. Without really trying to understand it.
Back to the schoolroom for a weak link into love song. Then it’s back to the mid-seventies and a Minnie Riperton type of backing. This time Lauryn is singing. She has a very good voice. It’s a bit wasted on this one. Gets better towards the end before it fades into something that’s Spanish guitar-y. Non-descript until it has the marching fade-out. Marching ad infinitum. Odd. Very out of context.
Now back to the miseducation. This concept really is beginning to get on my tits. Before it gets all funked out for that thing. Not really funky enough for my liking. Strangely the adjective that comes to mind about most of this album is mundane. It’s all a bit half-hearted. The backing is not committed to what it could be, the rapping is desultory. The thing that stands out most is when she releases her voice, but even then, despite being very good and very soulful, it’s not special in the way (say) Elizabeth Fraser is.
Now for a jump-off from “Light My Fire”. No, it’s dull. Trouble is it segues into something that is startlingly similar. And then does so again. And again. This time with Mary J Bilge. Christ alive, 40 minutes and I’m only just half-way through. Obviously MJB came at a high price, they’re getting their money’s worth out of her, as this is surely an 18 inch mix. And it segues into something that is, wow, startling similar. And again. I’ve stopped listening to this as an album, it’s become muzak. There is no hook. It is not resonating.
Even worse, when it changes tone - with D’Angelo - it plummets into the horrors that was mid-70s soul. All the social conscience and power and energy and, well, soul surgically removed in favour of anaemic background and cliche. And then goes on forever with a tail-off that doesn’t know when to stop. Dire Straits redivivus.
It does at least pick up a bit with “Everything Is Everything”. A kick-up of pace, mix of voice and rap, and Lauryn extends herself a bit more than elsewhere. There’s finally a sense of energy and urgency. Before it reverts. Damn, I even prefer the Boystown Gang version of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”.
There’s a ton of promise in here. Some interesting backbeats, some interesting use of samples. Trouble is she does not go far enough with them. And there’s insufficient variety. It’s all a similar pace and similar volume. And over-long. Another one where less is more. Just because you have enough material for a double album doesn’t mean you have to make one. You’re not Charles Dickens. I suppose this is what happens when a label gives creative control away. Quality control goes with it.
I suppose I’m meant to concentrate more on the lyrics than the tune. But to be frank I can’t be bothered. They don’t take me to a place I’ve never been…
At least it’s a more pleasant thing to listen to than Dire Straits or Damien Rice. So 3/10.
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Post by Shireblogger on Jun 24, 2015 9:26:27 GMT 1
With vas' review submitted, I think we cycle round next to raliverpool. Then it is vastar iner. Then I'd vote for smokeyb making another suggestion, as he's recently submitted a couple of reviews. Then we start the roundabout again with o then Shireblogger. |
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Post by o on Jun 24, 2015 9:58:17 GMT 1
Sounds good to me, and thanks for keeping track Shireb.
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Post by raliverpool on Jun 24, 2015 18:23:05 GMT 1
If you don't mind I'll pop the next classic album to review up at the weekend.
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much worse music in the charts that year than her.
