Wyclef Jean

Wyclef Jean

Carnival Vol. II:

Memoirs of an Immigrant

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(Columbia)

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Wyclef Jean can do it all, and on Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant he does, said Evan Serpick in Rolling Stone. The ex-Fugee sings, raps, writes songs, and plays guitar, as well as a number of other instruments. He has produced global hits, such as last year’s “Hips Don’t Lie” with Shakira, and is multilingual; French, Spanish, and Creole are just a few of the languages he speaks fluently. Marking his 10-year anniversary as a solo artist, this album is a celebration of Jean’s assorted talents. Jean, who knows a party is only as good as its guests, called upon everyone from Paul Simon to T.I. to Louis Farrakhan, making Carnival Vol. II “feel like a hipper Epcot Center.” The Haitian-born artist always makes his social and political interests known, said Gail Mitchell in The Washington Post. Here Jean zeroes in on illegal immigration on such tracks as “Hollywood Meets Bollywood (Immigration)” and “Selena,” which he dedicates to the Mexican songstress of the same name while sampling her “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.” He addresses divorce and deadbeat dads with “What About the Baby,” a duet with Mary J. Blige. The portrayals of all his heroes and heroines are “remarkably sympathetic,” said Alex Macpherson in the London Guardian. While “social commentary can be a minefield” for pop artists, Carnival Vol. II avoids sounding preachy because the songs are so sincere.