Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Hey, it's my album! Who else can tell my story better than me? says Lauryn Hill, chanteuse, rapper, songwriter, actress, activist and mother. She's talking about The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (RuffHouse/Columbia), her solo debut album and one of the most hotly-anticipated records of 1998. Produced by Lauryn herself, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a deeply personal album, running the gamut from affairs of the heart to socio-political issues, set against a sonic backdrop displaying the remarkable talent of this young native of South Orange, New Jersey. The title, according to Hill, shouldn't be taken too literally. The doe-eyed 23-year old, who completed her freshman year at Columbia University, explains: ". the concept of 'Miseducation" is not really miseducation at all. To me, it's more or less switching the terminology. it's really about the things that you've learned outside of school, outside of what society deems appropriate and mandatory. I have a lot of respect for academia. But there was a lot that I had to learn - life lessons - that wasn't part of any scholastic curriculum. It's really our passage into adulthood when we leave that place of idealism and naivety." The young woman (who Public Enemy's Chuck D admiringly describes as "sunlight" and a "Bob Marley of the 21st Century") has documented her glorious, multi-faceted life on record. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, like its author/protagonist, is confrontational, strong, forthright, and intelligent, while retaining a delicate, sensitive balance. This young auteur steps fearlessly into the musical arena, dealing with subjects that are close to her heart. At times, her humor is wry and candid and her pain and anger startling, but she is never bitter. She has been galvanized by her life experiences. "I'm close to all of them," she says, almost maternally, about her songs. "Every time I got hurt, every time I was disappointed, every time I learned, I just wrote a song," she explains, "but the song that touches me the most is the one about my son." "Joy of My World is in Zion" is for those ".who may have thought I was all that, but here is some of the pain I was going through. Here's my human side. It was very strange to me how this became an issue, this decision of mine. But what began as something dark became the brightest and most important thing to me." The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill forays into hip-hop territory with cuts like "Doo Wop" and the Jamaican-tinged grooves of "Lost Ones." Throughout the album, Hill's delicious vocals engage and captivate. Musically, she brings a warmth and sensitivity to the sound of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and displays her wide knowledge of the workings of the studio as producer on this stunning debut.