Work of genius - best R'n'B/Hip-Hop album of all time perhaps? (The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill)

Member Name: becca1234

Product:	The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill
Date:	25/09/09 (11 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Intelligent, articulate, inspirational - and Lauryn's voice is undeniable beautiful.

Disadvantages: Weird little spoken parts inbetween songs can get irritating - just skip them!

This is probably the most treasured CD in my music collection. I was way to young (8 years old) to appreciate or even know about Lauryn when this album first came out, but after hearing a couple of her songs (Doo Wop and Ex Factor) a few years ago I decided to find this album and give it a go.
Thank god I did. It's one album I can listen to all the way through, over and over again, and every time I'm struck by it's intelligence, originality and the beauty of Hill's voice. The only thing I can negatively comment on is the rather strange snippets of kid's talking to Wyclef inbetween some of the songs which can be a bit annoying, but skipping these you have an amazing record. Some of my favourite songs of the album :-

Ex-Factor : Probably my favourite song on the CD, in fact probably one of my favourite songs ever. It's a heartwrenching tale of a love that just seems to hurt; Lauryn's vocals are flawless and so packed with emotion it makes me emotional just listening to it.
'Tell me who I have to be, to get some reciprocity; see no-one loves you more than me, and no-one ever will'.

Doo Wop (That thing) : Starkly contrasting with Ex-Factor, this a Hip-Hop song, fully showing off Lauryn's rapping talent and her ability to write clever clever lyrics. And the brilliant beat behind it that just makes you want to move doesn't hurt either!
'Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem; Baby girl, respect is just a minimum'.

Superstar : Soulful song about Lauryn's disillusionment with how the R'n'B/HipHop scene has ended up.
'Music is supposed to inspire, so how come we ain't getting no higher?'

Nothing Even Matters - It doesn't take a genius to know that if you stick Lauryn Hill and D'Angelo on the same track it's gonna be good! So so soulful and sexy, but with a bit of an edge, this is definitely one to check out.
'These buildings could drift out to sea, some natural catastrophe; Still there's no place I'd rather be, 'cause nothing even matters to me'

Everything is Everything - One reason that I love and listen to this album so much is that I find it to be truly inspirational music that I listen to when I'm in need of uplifting - and this song is one of my favourites! Again, her lyrics are clever and truthful.
'After winter, must come spring; Everything is Everything'.

These are just a few of my personal favourites, but the entire album is amazing. It's clever, classy, and without the usual preoccupation with girls, guns, money and drugs that alot of Hip-Hop seems to have nowadays.
If you don't listen to this at some point in your life you have missed out on a work of genius!

Summary: If you only buy one CD ever again, make it this.