|  | | | Customer Reviews: | | | Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Clef breaks cultural barriers Aug 11, 2003
I've had this CD since it dropped & I still throughly enjoy it. It is a creative and interesting blend of hip-hop, r&b, reggae, and Caribbean music. Wyclef keeps the lyrics positive and thought provoking...and at times witty as well. He doesn't seem to care what people have to say, on this disc he has something to share whether there's an audience or not. This has become one of my favorite CD's...it's timeless. If you don't believe me, just listen to the last track and TELL ME it didn't make you get up & dance. I dare you!
The Carnival-Wyclef Jean Jan 28, 2001
It's so nice to know that others appreciate the genius of Wyclef. This joint rocks and I can't say enough about his versatility. After buying the Carnival CD, I couldn't wait for his next project to drop and I rushed right out the day it went on sale to buy it because I simply had to hear what he was doing next! Wyclef is simply marvelous and has quickly become my favorite artist. Why he doesn't get more recognition is just beyond me.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
THE CARNIVAL---TRULY A CARNIVAL Nov 30, 1999
Before THE CARNIVAL, I had the courage/audacity to buy only one other rap CD, the Fugees' THE SCORE. And I did not leave to regret it. THE CARNIVAL is a masterpiece. I truly believe that years from now, even if rap loses its clout in the music industry, this album will be remembered as a milestone. It will probably be what Marvin Gaye's WHAT'S GOING ON album is to us now. I had always thought that Wyclef was just a background singer for Lauryn Hill until I sat down to listen to THE CARNIVAL, and saw his true genius illuminating every edge of that black and purple disc. Unlike several other rap disks that lose their timeliness as months pass, THE CARNIVAL still remains true to life. The only reservation that I have about this disc is the needless swearing that it contains, but as it is, an edited version is now available. My favorite English song was 'GUNPOWDER' and I think it was a pity that Wyclef and the powers-that be at Columbia/Ruffhouse never saw it fit to release it as a single. I also am convinced that the album was not publicized as much as it should have been. And the fact that Clef lost the Grammy nomination to an album as pointless and as balloon-airy as Puff Daddy's NO WAY OUT was a tragedy. That just goes to show that having connections can be a substitute for lyrical and musical prowess. Listening to the album, one is practically given a glance at a soul on fire----to paraphrase Manchester. I love the manner in which the songs are sequenced. Many individuals of Haitian descent thought it insulting that Wyclef chose to place all the Creole songs at the end of the disc, but I do see his point. It was his way of conveying his journey from immigrant kid, to Youth Diaspora to assertive American. THE CARNIVAL was not only a musical milestone, but a cultural milestone too. It was the first time that a culture as alienated as the Haitian culture was taken (even if it were for a brief moment)out of its isolation, and placed in all its beauty, underneath bright lights where all could observe its grotesque qualities. It was the first time someone was proudly declaring their Haitianess, not in a room, but on the international front, where all could hear. Maybe part of the album's attraction was the manner in which Wyclef's assertion of himself, of his culture and homeland became not just a one-man thing, but a universal thing. It was almost as if he channeled his feelings through the rest of us---those who had just come from Haiti, those who had been in the States for some time, and had virtually become de-ethnicized. He speaks of them in his Bible-allegory based reggae song'Jaspora'("Pouki sa, ou pèdi non-w se Samyél/Pouki sa, ou pèdi-w avèk Israyèl)And if THE CARNIVAL is but a sneak preview of what is to be expected from Mr. Jean, than be lo bring on the beats.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
THE CARNIVAL---TRULY A CARNIVAL Nov 29, 1999
Before THE CARNIVAL, I had the courage/audacity to buy only one other rap CD, the Fugees' THE SCORE. And I did not leave to regret it. THE CARNIVAL is a masterpiece. I truly believe that years from now, even if rap loses its clout in the music industry, this album will be remembered as a milestone. It will probably be what Marvin Gaye's WHAT'S GOING ON album is to us now. I had always thought that Wyclef was just a background singer for Lauryn Hill until I sat down to listen to THE CARNIVAL, and saw his true genius illuminating every edge of that black and purple disc. Unlike several other rap disks that lose their timeliness as months pass, THE CARNIVAL still remains true to life. The only reservation that I have about this disc is the needless swearing that it contains, but as it is, an edited version is now available. My favorite English song was 'GUNPOWDER' and I think it was a pity that Wyclef and the powers-that be at Columbia/Ruffhouse never saw it fit to release it as a single. I also am convinced that the album was not publicized as much as it should have been. And the fact that Clef lost the Grammy nomination to an album as pointless and as balloon-airy as Puff Daddy's NO WAY OUT was a tragedy. That just goes to show that having connections can be a substitute for lyrical and musical prowess. Listening to the album, one is practically given a glance at a soul on fire----to paraphrase Manchester. I love the manner in which the songs are sequenced. Many individuals of Haitian descent thought it insulting that Wyclef chose to place all the Creole songs at the end of the disc, but I do see his point. It was his way of conveying his journey from immigrant kid, to Youth Diaspora to assertive American. THE CARNIVAL was not only a musical milestone, but a cultural milestone too. It was the first time that a culture as alienated as the Haitian culture was taken (even if it were for a brief moment)out of its isolation, and placed in all its beauty, underneath bright lights where all could observe its grotesque qualities. It was the first time someone was proudly declaring their Haitianess, not in a room, but on the international front, where all could hear. Maybe part of the album's attraction was the manner in which Wyclef's assertion of himself, of his culture and homeland became not just a one-man thing, but a universal thing. It was almost as if he channeled his feelings through the rest of us---those who had just come from Haiti, those who had been in the States for some time, and had virtually become de-ethnicized. He speaks of them in his Bible-allegory based reggae song'Jaspora'("Pouki sa, ou pèdi non-w se Samyél/Pouki sa, ou pèdi-w avèk Israyèl)And if THE CARNIVAL is but a sneak preview of what is to be expected from Mr. Jean, than be lo bring on the beats.
1 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent. Jul 20, 1999
This is a great CD. I really enjoy listening to it
|
| |
|
![Up (4 Disc Combo Pack with Digital Copy and DVD) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51V%2Beipy8-L._SL75_.jpg "Up (4 Disc Combo Pack with Digital Copy and DVD) [Blu-ray]")
![Across the Universe [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51T24FuHPEL._SL75_.jpg "Across the Universe [Blu-ray]")
![Underworld Trilogy (Underworld / Underworld: Evolution / Underworld: Rise of the Lycans) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F27VzUl%2BL._SL75_.jpg "Underworld Trilogy (Underworld / Underworld: Evolution / Underworld: Rise of the Lycans) [Blu-ray]")
![Shakira: Oral Fixation Tour [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RQUEopdlL._SL75_.jpg "Shakira: Oral Fixation Tour [Blu-ray]")
