The Ecleftic: Two Sides To A Book

10/19/2000 4:30 PM, LAUNCH
Dan Leroy

Since guiding the Fugees' hip-hop classic The Score, Wyclef Jean has presented himself as a musical renaissance man, producing everyone from Michael Jackson to Carlos Santana. As you might guess from the title, his sophomore set is designed to show there are no limits to his creative genius. But instead, its very eclectism proves its undoing.

The disc lacks the coherent vision that would have made the best argument for Clef's claims. What this album does have to recommend it is his unerring ear for a hook. There are a half-dozen cuts that will lodge in your brain almost immediately, including the gently reggaefied duet with Mary J. Blige, "911," to "Perfect Gentleman," a pumping house-flavored defense of strippers. Clef even manages to find work for rasslin' star the Rock, who barks out choruses on the brilliant single "It Doesn't Matter," a high-octane blend of ska and hip-hop that casts a dubious eye at the wealth--and hangers-on--that fame brings. That's a topic Clef also tackles over the street-savvy beats of "Pullin' Me In," which blasts hip-hop purists who've complained about his extracurricular musical interests.

Yet ironically, he's at his worst here when he fully indulges those leanings. The rootsy "Diallo" tries for a Marley vibe, but instead offers insipid gems like this line: "Have you ever been shot 41 times?" Well, just once. And as further proof that eclecticism doesn't always equal results, Clef brings in Kenny Rogers to remake his famous "The Gambler" with a funky twist. Sounds inspired--until you hear the track, a mishmash that should have been so much better. Sort of like this whole disc.