Fugees - The Score - Ooh la la la (The Score: Refugee Camp - Fugees)

Member Name: Zelie

Product:	The Score: Refugee Camp - Fugees
Date:	26/04/02 (1557 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent vocals by Lauryn Hill

Disadvantages: Terrible intros

There are some CDs that you just want to hear over and over again while family and friends plead "Oh please no, not again". Fugees - "The Score" deserves all the superlatives that have been heaped upon it and more. You like hip hop rap style? You'll love this!

Lauryn Hill, Wyclef and Pres in the Fugees come together to produce a range of songs from covers to original which will revive in you that cool reactionary you always wanted to be. Despite the totally unnecessary and intrusive introductions to songs you will find that after just a few listenings, this CD is one you want to revisit over and over again and add to your list of top ten favourites.

The first track "How many MICs" will have you moving with attitude. The blend of voices to a truly strong beat blends easily into the superlative vocals of Lauryn in "Ready or Not"

The "Zealots" continues the theme although this is a song where the lyrics are stronger than the accompaniment. What a good line is this? "I add a muthafuckker so you ignint niggas hear me."

Ok I'm sorry but the next track "The Beast" is just not good so moving quickly on... to the wonderful, the amazing, the totally addictive "Fu-Gee-La". There are 3 versions of this track on the CD and they will leave you singing "Ooh la la la" until you bore even yourself.

"Family Business" is a bit of a filler but the haunting background gives the track a special quality of all its own.

And then the world halts just for a second.. "Killing me softly". The introduction pulls at the sentimentality in all of us but the easy transition into the "its all right" hip hop beat is masterful and complete. OK it's a cover but what a cool cover? Roberta you know you love it.

The title track of "The Score", it's OK as are "The Mask&qu
ot; and "Cowboys". Again while lyrics are strong you wouldn't programme these tracks into your playlist.

Like sunshine coming after the rain "No Woman, No Cry" must endear the Fugees to even the most ardent Bob Marley aficionados out there.

"Manifest/Outro" again a filler although strengthened by the angry vocals of Lauryn before those "Fu-Gee-La"s again. And then "Mista Mista" - by this time you have been through the score and you need this slow, haunting, conscience provoking penultimate finale to bring you back down to reality and let you know that it's easy to be reactionary but what the hell do you know about anything anyway?

And then the last song. French hip hop, with Fu-gee-la all over it and a recollection running through it of all you've just heard. Although produced in 1996, this CD is just as fresh today and a whole lot cheaper to buy. Give it a try, you won't regret it.

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