The Carnival by Wyclef Jean : Reviews and Ratings

this release

Current Tags (click a tag to remove/add it)

The Carnival

shortcut: [Album3694]

Artist	Wyclef Jean
Type	Album
Released	June 24, 1997
Rating	3.51 from 238 ratings
Ranked	#433 for 1997
Genres	East Coast Hip Hop

	Next >
	The Ecleftic

you

Log in or sign up to rate, review, catalog, or tag this release.

tracks

1	Intro / Court / Clef / Intro (Skit / Interlude)	3:15
2	Apocalypse	3:49
3	Guantanamera (feat. Celia Cruz & Jeni Fujita)	4:31
4	Pablo Diablo (Interlude) (feat. Crazy Sam & Talent)	0:40
5	Bubblegoose (feat. Melky Sedek)	3:49
6	Prelude to "To All the Girls" (Interlude)	0:31
7	To All the Girls	4:17
8	Down Lo Ho (Interlude) (feat. Talent & Will)	1:13
9	Anything Can Happen	4:37
10	Gone 'Till November	3:27
11	Words of Wisdom (Interlude)	0:46
12	Years of the Dragon (feat. Lauryn Hill)	4:07
13	Sang Fezi	4:02
14	Freash Interlude	1:46
15	Mona Lisa (feat. The Neville Brothers)	4:30
16	Street Jeopardy	3:57
17	Killer M.C. (Intelude) (feat. Pras)	0:33
18	We Trying to Stay Alive (feat. John Forté & Pras)	3:12
19	Gunpowder	4:24
20	Closing Argument (Interlude / Skit) (feat. Talent & Will)	1:36
21	Enter the Carnival (Interlude)	0:24
22	Jaspora	4:03
23	Yele	5:24
24	Carnival (feat. Sweet Mickey, Jacob Desvavieux & Jocelyn Berouard of Kassav)	5:06

3 issues

1997	The Carnival [33 rpm]	Vinyl LP	Ruffhouse	C2 67974
1997	The Carnival	CD	Ruffhouse	CK 67974
1997	The Carnival (clean version)	CD	Ruffhouse	CK 68201

16 reviews

Sort: newest | highly-weighted | longest | positive | negative

Page:[ 1 ] 2 >>

Nodima Nov 08 2009 Good; recommended for fans. Digital [Rating25983383]	The Carnival (Produced by Wyclef Jean & Jerry Duplessis unless noted) [Ruffhouse Records 1997] 1\|Intro / Court / Clef / Intro (Skit / Interlude)\|3:15 3 2\|Apocalypse\|3:49 3.75 - 4 3\|Guantanamera (feat. Celia Cruz & Jeni Fujita)\|4:31 4 - 4.5 4\|Pablo Diablo (Interlude) (feat. Crazy Sam* & Talent) \|0:40* 3 5\|Bubblegoose (feat. Melky Sedek)\|3:49 (Produced by Salaam Remi & Wyclef Jean) 4 6\|Prelude to "To All the Girls" (Interlude)\|0:31 3 - 3.5 7\|To All the Girls\|4:17 (Produced by Wyclef Jean & Ché Guevara) 4.5 - 5 8\|Down Lo Ho (Interlude) (feat. Talent* & Will)\|1:13* 3 9\|Anything Can Happen\|4:37 4 - 4.25 10\|Gone 'Till November\|3:27 4.75 - 5 11\|Words of Wisdom (Interlude)\|0:46 3 12\|Years of the Dragon (feat. Lauryn Hill)\|4:07 3.5 - 4 13\|Sang Fezi\|4:02 2 - 2.5 14\|Freash Interlude\|1:46 3 15\|Mona Lisa (feat. The Neville Brothers)\|4:30 3 - 3.25 16\|Street Jeopardy\|3:57 3 - 3.25 17\|Killer M.C. (Intelude) (feat. Pras)\|0:33 3.5 - 4 18\|We Trying to Stay Alive (feat. John Forté & Pras)\|3:12 (Produced by Wyclef Jean, Jerry Duplessis & Pras) 3.75 - 4 19\|Gunpowder\|4:24 3 - 3.75 20\|Closing Argument (Interlude / Skit) (feat. Talent* & Will)\|1:36* 3 21\|Enter the Carnival (Interlude)\|0:24 3 22\|Jaspora\|4:03 3 - 3.5 23\|Yele\|5:24 4 24\|Carnival (feat. Sweet Mickey, Jacob Desvavieux* & Jocelyn Berouard of Kassav) \|5:06* 3 - 3.25 Overall: 83 - 84.5 3.49/5 69 - 70%: Good; detracting problems; TRY IT I agree with diction; in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this album had more influence on Mos Def than we'll ever know. The beats, flow, multi-cultural style, all of it reminds me of Mos one way or another. It's kind of eerie. One thing that's kind of a pet peeve for me with concept albums is that they don't usually stick to the concept that well, and this album is like eMC's The Show in the way that the songs have loose connections to the album's theme, but mostly the skits are telling their own story alongside the album. I'm cool with skits so I find this stuff entertaining, but I mean there's no denying the album would be shorter and smoother if it just gave us the songs and got out of here. Wyclef's always had big ambitions as a musician though and he probably wouldn't be who he is without his eccentric qualities. In fact he definitely wouldn't be, since his whole career post-Fugees has been based on being the rapper that has a little taste. A lot of that comes through in this album, since most of it is built off allusions to other songs and musical styles. If I'm being honest what brings me back to this album most of the time is the production. I don't think Wyclef is an amazing MC but he can rap really well and sounds natural on his beats. But the production on this stuff is just really solid. You can call Wyclef pop but honestly I'll take a lot of these beats to stuff going around now. "To All the Girls" is sick - really all of the first 10 or 12 tracks are - and I just really enjoy the feel of it. Like Mos' album, Wyclef's lyrics do a lot of tributing older lyrics and beats and things, so this album is also pretty fun to listen to for hip-hop heads trying to play spot the allusion. It does have the potential to leave someone confused about how many lyrics of Wyclef's are original and how many are popular hip-hop slogans, but his true originals like "Gone 'Till November" definitely stand the test of time as well. This album is really surprising for someone who only knew Wyclef for his singles at the time and, to be honest, didn't like them very much. But I really like some of this stuff now, and I catch myself leaving The Carnival on most of the time it comes up. Still, if I can be honest one more time the production is also sort of what kills this for me. It's hard not to notice he's not being very original on these release, even for 1997, and no amount of variety can help me get totally past that.
diction Sep 15 2009 Excellent CD [Rating1142807]	Lyrics: 3.5 Beats: 4.0 The closest thing that there ever will be to a "The Score" sequel, Wyclef's first solo album is actually not really that far from the sounds of that album. There's obviously not as much Lauryn Hill or Pras but sonically it has pretty much the same sound and that's a good thing obviously. Wyclef isn't afraid to mix hip hop with other genres, I think everyone living in the 90s remembers his covers of Guantanamera and Staying Alive, they are blended with a hip hop feel very masterfully. Actually I like "We Trying to Stay Alive" better than the original Bee Gees tune, sounds much better with a dope drum and raps added. The production on the album overall is very great, it showed that you can take hip hop to other areas and still make it sound genuine... too bad most pop rap artists never got it too well but that's perhaps too much to ask. I think this album is the mark of a genre that was still growing, hip hop was only getting bigger and bigger and Wyclef managed to keep it flourishing all while reaching other audiences. I'm looking at "Black on Both Sides" and I see the influence of this album on it, or perhaps that's just me. Wyclef is perhaps not the greatest rapper ever but he does his thing when he has too, his lyrics are pretty good and his songwriting skills are just excellent. The last few tracks on the album aren't really hip hop but they still fit pretty well with the overall vibe of the album. This album has surprisingly aged very well, it's very nostalgic for me and at the same time sounds fresh, definitely one of the must owns of that 1997 year.
QBsince1933 Apr 13 2009 Extraordinary: A Masterpiece CD [Rating21945240]	This album is incredible masterpiece, nothing short of a work of art. I admit, the first two times I listened to it I wasn't too impressed, but after listening to it more I realized just what an amazing album it is. Wyclef combines the best element of hip hop, R&B and reggae into an amazing piece of work. There are great tracks all through out this album from beginning, middle to end. The songs in creole like Seng Fezi and Yele might not be for everyone, but they add to the overall depth of the album. This cat truly understand music. Best Songs: Guantanamera, Gone Til November, Year of the Dragon, Gunpowder, and more. Good Songs: Bubblegoose, To All the Girls, Anything Can Happen Mediocre Songs: None Poor Songs: None Overall: Masterpiece. One of the best albums of all time in any genre. If you enjoy good music, this is a must have!
fgvmochica50 Mar 02 2009 Very Good CD [Rating21098763]	For a long time I had a copy of what I thought was "The Carnival". A friend had made me a copy and I thought it was amazing. It wasn't until recently that I checked the song listing at RYM and I realized that what I was given was a compilation. I was mad! I have been praising a non existing album. So it is now that I get to listen to the full album and I'm glad to say I really like it. Maybe is not as great as I was led to believe but is still a solid effort. By reading the reviews here I can see why everyone says is an uneven album. Some songs are amazing while others are just average. But there is way too many good tracks here to make it mediocre. So give it a listen. There are tracks here that are a work of genius.
Shu_Shubat Dec 03 2008 Pixie Sticks Digital [Rating19300724]	Excellent album that really shows the talent of Wyclef Jean, just in case you didn't grasp it with the Fugees. Great lyricism, as expected, and he can deliver flawlessly. The productions is also great, ranging from reggae to heavy hip-hop beats. My favorite track is probably "Jaspora," but they're all really good. Wait, so why do I give it a three? Because of the damn skits between like every track. They do nothing to enhance their following tracks and even on your first listen it's probably that you'll be skipping over them before long. What a pain in the ass! We're supposed to enjoy listening to an entire album without pressing the skip button, but Jean pretty much forces us to do it. Enjoying an album means not doing any work. Argh.
Zephos Oct 28 2008 Masterpiece CD [Rating18629311]	It's easy to lose faith in the genre's direction even now, imagine how hard it must have been with all the simultaneous shit hitting the fan right after years of gold. It would have been even harder to take if only for the contrast. And so many artists clearly lost their nerve, losing their fire, or basing too much of their approach off simply reacting to what they saw as wrong with the change. But if 97 was a drought, than this album was a lush and vast oasis in it's middle. Though the Fugees broke up it's members weren't done by any stretch of imagination. Wyclef follows up on the group's swan song with what can be construed as the first true genre hopping rap album, preceding similar moves by the likes of Andre 3000, K-os, and K'naan by years. A heavy dose of Caribbean influence is all over this (especially the Haitian Creole final three song suite), making it deliciously islandish above all else. While most of the best 97 albums either looked to the past or wrapped themselves away in indie murk, this album explodes in forward thinking conscious and creativity. Not afraid to still believe in hip-hop. Because Hip Hop is not dead, it never died. There were always great artists and albums fighting the good fight. Pushing ahead. To give up is to be lazy. Remember this album, the first defiant boom in the face of stagnation. Rating: 5 Highlights: Apocalypse, Guantanamera, Gone Till November, Year of the Dragon
ukelucas Oct 09 2008 CD [Rating18268065]	OH HELL. When will talented hip-hop artists stop wrecking their own albums with stupid skits and filler? This thing would be much more enjoyable if about 30-40 minutes were removed. We'd have a good, snappy, dancey, catchy, unique, multicultural hip-hop stew. Instead we have brief moments of brilliance hidden in piles of idiotic monologue and phoned-in tracks. Like, uh... pieces of chocolate in a bowl of mud. I think I'm going to stop using food analogies.
camipco May 21 2007 CD [Rating9525764]	Great album. Wyclef isn't a never-miss genius, and there's certainly plenty of skipable tracks on here. But when he's on, he's pure genius. Especially enjoyable are the 3 creole tracks at the end of the album. Gunpowder is also beautiful. What's with interludes? Can we all just agree they are a bad idea? Is this some hip-hop thing I don't get because I'm white?
danielrobers Mar 11 2007 CD-R [Rating8536447]	Terri an acquaintance at work gave me the disc to burn so she could have an extra copy. I listen to it and now I'm addicted. The best Hip-Hop I've ever heard. The album is very exciting not just hip-hop but wonderful music with some damn comedy . I'm a new fan.
Silent_Mike Aug 03 2006 apples to good homes CD [Rating2637930]	Man, has 'Clef been burning a lot of goodwill the last decade or so. The beef with Canibus, producing Jin, "Hips Don't Lie," The Apprentice... At least he dropped The Carnival. Putting on the hats of the jetsetter, the thug, the block-party organizer, and the ghetto sage, Clef throws a melange of styles on the wall. Hey, surprise, most of them stick. "Apocalypse" fuses a gorgeous soprano quote to Jean getting pulled over after the Grammys. Wylcef covers the classic "Guantanamera" (with the late Celia Cruz's help) ably, jumping from girlwatching to gunstrapping in a single bound. And that's something Clef can do well, even if his rapping tends toward the gimmicky and clumsy: he can do lyrical right-turns like no one's business. Take "Gone Till November," one of the mightiest singles ever released. The first verse is a laundry list to the lives Clef's north-bound dealer is leaving. "Tell my cousin Jerry/If you don't wear condom/You see a red rum," he notes, before the preening "Whoa-oh-oh-oh/You sucka MCs you got no flow/I heard your sound/You S-O-S-O". It's selfish and caring at turns, it's devastating throughout, and it's Jean's lightning-stroke. There's a great remix out there that replaces a couple hooks; definitely worth it. He sounds like he's actually dropping dimes on this record. "Bubblegoose" is unnerving with its just-off keys, "Anything Can Happen" survives the whoa-rewind-the-track conceit with a nice Morse-Code beat and a shaggy-dog story about busting out of an enemy's trunk. Lauryn Hill drops a couple tight verses on "Year of the Dragon," and a couple of the Refugee All-Stars (namely Pras and John Forte) manage to hold my interest during "We Trying to Stay Alive" - whose obvious sample holds up much better than it ought. Jean even tries to channel Bob on "Gunpowder" and ends up with a slow-burning torcher. Things get a bit samey with the last three tracks, all in French, all too-long jammers, but then again, if The Carnival* had been a masterpiece I'd be even madder about his current creative outlets. * and he sampled Bad Manners for that track with the Rock. I grant immunity to that song.