Wyclef Jean: Greatest Hits : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Long before hip-hop producers such as Pharrell Williams were testing out their vocal chops, Wyclef Jean was, in his peculiar, awkward way, making a case for the widely engaged black musician. A gifted arranger with an ear that outpaces his vocal cords, the former Fugees leader nonetheless shines up against actual singers -- City High's Claudette Ortiz on the sublime "Two Wrongs"; Mary J. Blige on the searing "911." Mostly, though, Clef excels at uneven pastiche -- a nifty Bee Gees rip on "We Trying to Stay Alive"; nodding at Dylan with a rewrite of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." Though some of Clef's finest moments aren't here -- no "Guantanamera," no "80 Bars" -- this diverse set shows the limitations of trying to be all things to all people. Eventually, you can be tapped dry.

JON CARAMANICA
(RS 937, December 11, 2003)