934 The Fugees - The Score (1996)

Studio album - Hip Hop

About the Act:

Fugees were a hip-hop band from New Jersey from 1992-7, and again from 2004-06. They were Lauren Hill. Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel. Lauren and Wyclef also had success as solo artists. "Fugees" is a shortening of "Refugees".

They were influential in the hip-hop and soul world. They made two studio albums.

About the Album:

This was the second album by the Fugees

My History with this Album:

None

Review:

Hip-hop and here we go again. Outside of that old comfort zone, which is no bad thing. It's rap, it has samples, it has rapping. It also has some singing, and occasional use of instruments. 

On my first listen through, I got about halfway and I was not impressed. It felt like it was quite facile and basic, and I started to wonder of this was the hip-hop version of twee pop. There were a lot of repeated lines, and it didn't seem particularly deep. Like a lot (in fact like all of the ones I have listened to so far) of rap albums, there are little dramatic vignettes between the tracks to link them, and the whole flows as a whole. The first half contains the song I know "Ready or not" which I've never been that bothered by.

Second half was on another occasion, and I got to "Killing me Softly". Now, I love this song, and couldn't remember if I had heard this version. I was dreading a rap-induced massacre of it, but no, it was actually really nice. I presume it is Lauren Hill singing, and it's a beautiful, soulful stripped-back version. As I'm thinking about it again, I have got it stuck in my head... again. There is also in the second half, near the end, a version of "No woman, no cry" by Bob Marley with changed words. I don't know who is singing it, but it is a creditable impression of Bob Marley, to the extent I wasn't sure until I heard the changed lyrics. I think the changed lyrrics lose the original meaning of opposition to Colonial rule, but are pretty decent in their own right. Then, in one of the vignettes, somebody starts encouraging people to shoot other people. I was not too happy with this.

So at the end of the first listen, I was quite mixed in my opinion.

The second listen-through was today while I was doing some work. By now I knew that the album is designed as a kind of audio film, with a story, and characters. One thing that was different was that I didn't listen as closely. I found that the rhythms and sounds kind of swept along in quite a pleasant way. It's actually quite easy rap to listen to. Don't get me wrong, I'm not putting it on when my kids are around, there's way too much swearing and some unpleasant sentiment for that. However, I am prepared to give some benefit of the doubt on the premise that they are telling a story, and representing characters, and not necessarily presenting their own position. I think it is fairly natural for me to prefer the sung bits to the rapped bits, and I still hold by the idea that some of it is a bit on the facile side. Lauren Hill really can sing.

So, I've warmed to it, I think there are issues, but as a whole it works as an album, and I like the bookending opening and credits. I think to really do it full justice I would have to listen several more times, and I may do in the future, but for now I'm going to give it a reasonable score.

6.6/10

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/18XFe4CPBgVezXkxZP6rTb

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpT23Oq1XOBCs3qJY2GXBgxJUvtp6eC5g

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Score_(Fugees_album)