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Wyclef Jean - Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant Audio CD

A fair review of the Wyclef Jean "Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Wyclef Jean reviews here, or go back to the Wyclef Jean tabs.

Wyclef Jean Band: Wyclef Jean
Title: Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant
Rating:
Release Date: 2007-12-04
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Intro 2: Riot (featuring Serj Tankian and Sizzla) 3: Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill) (featuring Akon, Lil Wayne and introducing Niia) 4: Welcome To The East (featuring Sizzla) 5: Slow Down (featuring T.I.) 6: King & Queen (featuring Shakira) 7: Fast Car (featuring Paul Simon) 8: What About The Baby (featuring Mary J. Blige) 9: Hollywood Meets Bollywood (Immigration) (featuring Chamillionaire) 10: Any Other Day (featuring Norah Jones) 11: Heaven's In New York 12: Selena (featuring Melissa Jimenez) 13: Touch Your Button Carnival Jam (featuring Will.I.Am, Melissa Jimenez, Machel Montano, Daniela Mercury, Black Alex, Djkout Mizik) 14: Outro

Definately not another Carnival
Clef's 2003 album, The Preacher's Son was son of his best work in my opinion. I'm a big fan of Wyclef and it seems like over the past few years, he's music as started to become a hit or miss for me. However, his 2004 follow-up, Welcome To Haiti Creole 101, which was his first independent release and a tribute album to his home country, was somewhat of a disappointment to me. In 2007, after returning back to Columbia Records, which he'd left in 2002, he released The Carnival II: Memoirs Of An Immigrant. Since I loved Clef's debut album, The Carnival, I was excited about this album, since I assumed that it would be very reminiscent of The Carnival. After purchasing the album, I realized it wasn't another Carnival, but it wasn't awful. His collaborations with Paul Simon on "Fast Car" and Mary J. Blige on "What About The Baby" are without a doubt the highlights of the album. "Heaven's In New York" is also a beautifully written track that I love. However, I feel as though this album is a combination of inspirational tracks and dancehall album fillers. I was expecting not to get so many dancehall club tracks, since the original Carnival album featured none. On a more positive note, my favorite part of this album is all the inspiration and knowledge brought into the number of songs that I do like.

The limited edition of the album features a bonus disc that includes five tracks. With this added on, the album becomes better, since the bonus disc seems as though it's about as good as the whole album is. "Million Voices" and "Emmanuelle" are both beautiful and inspirational songs that will bring you chills. The remix of "Sweetest Girl" features Raekwon and samples the instrumental of The Wu-Tang Clan's "C. R. E. A. M. ". It's about the richest treat a true Hip-Hop fan can get.

The songs that I do like on the album are enough for me to keep it on the CD rack, but I just wish that on his next album he'd take it back to the basics, and gives us more Hip-Hop, and less dancehall and club tracks. I'm yearning for a resurrection of that Fugee Hip-Hop and really wish he'd bring it to us.


All I have to say is...
She's amazing and he's amazing, but whenever they get together they create something way too overly produced and too bubble gum poppy. That duet with Shakira is awful. . . It sounds terrible. . . they need to STOP collaborating.


The carnival is still under construction
Now he's trying again with Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant. Despite Wyclef Jean still having no problem scoring hit singles, all his albums released after The Carnival have been pretty lackluster.

Scooter McGavin is on point with his review, but I'll say that by looking at the title alone, it appears that Clef himself realizes the quality of said albums, which is why he's possibly reverting back to his old formula. But considering that the original Carnival came out over ten years ago, the problem lies within that formula now sounding dated. But Clef isn't actually going back that far per se: there's no rapping on this album (well, not from him, anyway). The problem is the same problem he usually has: he's trying to mix too many styles at once.

The thing is, every song on this album is so different from the last that it almost makes you wonder if you're listening to a Now That's What I Call Music compilation. This is especially evidenced by the unfocused "Touch Your Button" medley, as well as the Chamillionaire-assisted "Hollywood Meets Bollywood", which is about as accessible as a Panjabi MC song. And when Clef reunites with people that helped him make hits in the past, the results don't carry that same spark. The Shakira-assisted "King & Queen" doesn't go anywhere, and "What About the Baby" (with Mary J. Blige) is just plain weird (it's a tad better than "911", but that's not saying much).

There are only four songs on here that stand out: the first two singles ("Sweetest Girl", even though it really isn't about anything, but hey, what would a hit song be without Akon and Lil' Wayne?; and "Fast Car"), and the two-in-a-row of "Any Other Day" (with Norah Jones) and "Heaven's in New York". Speaking of the latter, though, that's the only song on the whole album that doesn't feature anyone. Carnival II is better than a lot of the albums Wyclef has been releasing lately, but it can't compare to the original Carnival. Maybe he, Lauryn and Pras really should get back together and this time release an entire album instead of just a single.

Anthony Rupert.


MUSIC FOR LIFE

THE LYRICS ARE CLEAN AND INFORMATIVE AND THE RYTHM MAKES YOU WANNA MOVE. WOW! ONCE AGAIN, WYCLEFF JEAN PUTS ALL THE TRACKS WELL TOGETHER. . .
I LOVE THE ENTIRE ALBUM! I RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE. . .

.


Amazing Album. See him live.
He was onstage for over two hours, Akon came out to perform, his sister sang some Sam Cooke, it was the most energetic show I have ever seen. Not only can I not stop playing this album, but if you get a chance to catch him live, DO IT. Wyclef has made an album that feels great to listen to. Pick it up!.


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