It's a complete album - front to back - this is a weird comparison, but like Dark Side, it's an experience with perfect songs that radio can pull out. This will be required listening for kids if I had them. This is arguably one of the best hip hop albums of all time for me. You can't listen to 'The Score' too many times, let's be honest.
I hope 'Mis-education.' made it onto the 1001 list, but if not I can at least get my fix and settle for her brilliance on 'The Score'. Even the cover of 'No Woman, No Cry' I can now appreciate, despite all the slightly hammy interjections and lyric changes from Wyclef Jean.Ībove all, I just love Lauryn Hill.
I now appreciate the mastery of using 'Dove' by Cymande for the sample in the song 'The Score' whereas I wouldn't have known the reference back in the day. 'The Beast' has manifested from feeling like a slightly sinister and unnerving skit to something hugely topical and ahead of its time. But even the fringe songs bring new life to them. The hits remain classic: 'Fu-gee-La' to 'Ready or Not' and 'Killing Me Softly', of course. Maybe it's the nostalgia of seeming them playing it together again after 2 and a half decades, but each track has just improved and aged like well-rhymed moonshine. You can't say the same for 'The Score' and the skits definitely knock it down a tad from being one of the all-time great albums. But across a whole album? Lauryn Hill's 'Mis-education.' is probably the only record where all the skits remain timeless but that's due to the unwavering sentiment and the connection to the narrative as a whole. Busta Rhymes' 'Only One Year Left' was prescient and remains as disturbing as when it was released via 'Extinction Level Event' in '98. Do any hip hop skits really stand the test of time? Maybe a few of Eminem's Wu-Tang Clan had some funny stuff on their albums. Check out her live version of the song at Atlantic City Limits if you want goosebumps of your own.Ī five star review, right? The only thing that brings 'The Score' down is the skits. I get goosebumps every time I hear her rap on 'Ready or Not'. They tore the place up! What a performance. I just watched some clips of them playing Global Citizen Live. The Fugees are on everyone's radar once again after announcing their return, touring 'The Score' to mark its 25th anniversary. In the history of American recorded music, Fugees are here to stay. I could do with less of the standard 1990s rap lyric boastfulness, but maybe it (or I) will develop. But again, to what end? It’s cool, but why? It’s rather like Mozart to a guy who is more into Mahler. Or sometimes I wonder if the artists are even aware of the fact that, for instance, the skillfully rapid “la-las” on the chorus of “Fu-Gee-La” came straight off the intro to Billy Stewart’s cover of “Summertime”(1966).
#FUGEES THE SCORE REVIEW FULL#
Lyrics are full of references that require the listener to pay attention and maybe do some research, which is appealing, but they often lack significance. Hill’s “Killing Me Softly” is better than Roberta Flack’s. Very good sound.īut what stands out on this album is Lauryn Hill’s voice-powerful, throaty, and resonant. It’s hip hop I could listen to on a long drive. Sampling is not overdone (but really, Enya’s “Boadicea” on “Ready or Not”?). Nice grooves, interesting reggae feel, well recorded and mixed. In fact, I think this album's greatest strength may be it's depth and range of emotions. Another thing that sets this album apart are the covers/adaptations they incorporated and while some may think that may detract from it as a pure hip hop album in some way, I think it's stronger for it musically. Lauryn Hill is definitely my favorite female rapper and a big part of what makes this album stand out. The Fugees are particularly skilled at layering (often brief) overdubs in just the right places to build a very complex sound that isn't overly dense so as to weigh it down. Always been more of a fan of the east coast sound in general. I love the atmosphere they captured and cinematic flow throughout. A case where label trust paid off in dividends. I feel like this album is largely a result of their creating a home studio and being given complete artistic control.
In fact, when I think about it, I personally tend to prefer hip hop groups like this for the dynamics it provides. While I do like some of their solo material that came afterwards, I feel they were stronger together. This album is an absolute phenomenon, a supernova for the group.
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