Carnival, Volume II: Memoirs of an Immigrant

Wyclef Jean's grandiose sixth studio creation

Possessing a many faceted talent, thirty five year old Haitian known to the whole world under the name Wyclef Jean has finally made up his mind to please the audience with his next record which is as usually bound to furor. Having been last noticed on Shakira's single Hips Don't Lie, the singer, rapper, producer and author masterly playing several instruments has called all his friends and gathered an enormous amount of guest stars to work on his grandiose sixth studio creation that got the name Carnival II: Memoirs Of An Immigrant. The album offers most varied genres from rap to rock, amazes with the diversity of vocalists and rhyme performers and of course gives the world an imposing portion of delicious hits. It goes without saying that Wyclef Jean has always been capable of impressing the audience with his temper, outstanding vocals but this time around the artist has definitely outdone himself making his most vivid, variegated and picturesque album since the 1997's debut The Carnival. Full of surprises, Carnival II: Memoirs Of An Immigrant can be rightfully considered Wyclef's most interesting and varied creation.

The variety of styles and directions boggles imagination

The album opens with a much promising Intro, and the first full length track Riot featuring Serj Tankian and Sizzla consists of two parts, that make an unexpected but brilliant combination of rock and reggae framed into a splendid arrangement, whereas one of the album's highlights is the amazing single Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill) featuring a bunch of stars: Akon, Lil Wayne and Niia. Sizzla joins Wyclef on another memorable composition Welcome To The East, and on Slow Down there is T.I.'s rapping that adds a certain charm to the song. King & Queen performed with Shakira is going to be a big hit due to its catchy tune and a lovely arrangement, and Fast Car featuring Paul Simon is rather a folk composition here. The undoubtedly huge success is What About The Baby, performed with incomparable Mary J. Blige (the last song the two sang together was the unforgettable smasher 911), it conquers with great lyrics, a faultless beat and of course the performance of the duo is once again a perfect match. Another example of combining two styles within one song is on Hollywood Meets Bollywood (Immigration) featuring Chamillionaire with his recognizable verses, at first pleasing with contagious Indian club music and then rapping with Spanish guitar accompaniment, it is one of the most danceable songs here. A singer that was probably least expected on a Wyclef's album is Norah Jones who joins him on a calm track Any Other Day, that lets us relax a bit. The album closes with the longest composition Touch Your Button Carnival Jam (Feat. Will.I.Am, Melissa Jimenez, Machel Montana, Daniela Mercury, B) and Outro, and then offers two bonus tracks On Tour featuring Lucina and China Wine performed with Sun, Elephant Man and Tony Matterhorn. The variety of styles and directions on the record simply boggles imagination, still it remains stylish and quite harmonious.

One of the most eccentric performers on the world scene

Even without listening to Carnival II: Memoirs Of An Immigrant, just reading the names of the performers on the track list one can imagine the scope of this magnificent work. Such concentration of different approaches to music on one record and sometimes within a track is hard to grasp giving the album one listening only. There are no filters here, and each of the songs is unique for its demonstrating how varied good music can be and that all the styles have a right to exist. Wyclef's message here is that the world is beautiful with its variety, full of the most unusual styles, which he wants to involve all on one album even scarifying the distinct stylistic direction. Now that severe winter is about to come, this sunny album has really come in handy brining sultry, hot dance hits and soft R&B compositions. Thus being released at the end of the year Carnival II: Memoirs Of An Immigrant deserves the most front positions and confirms once again that Wyclef Jean has been and remains one of the most eccentric performers on the world scene.