The Carnival was one of the first hip hop albums I was exposed to. My brother and I would drive around Seminole in his gold Jeep. Every part of the car was either made of metal or leather, a combination that turned 90-degree weather almost lethal. But…he had a CD player, so who cares? Between Wyclef’s Carnival and a collection of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, we were about as gangster as it got in Seminole, FL.
The year was 1997, and if you turned on the radio, the chances were high that you would hear one of the following: “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina,” “Don’t Speak,” “Getting Jiggy Wit It,” “Mmmbop,” “Walkin’ On the Sun,” or “Tubthumping.” This collection of mindless pop offers a 0 out of 6 chance of hearing something worthwhile. However, The Carnival was released, serving as Wyclef’s first solo record after his time with The Fugees, and it most definitely transcends the musical trends of 1997.
Wyclef is a songsmith. He takes hip-hop to a level that (thankfully) more and more artists are embracing. The lyrics are cerebral – they mean something. The Carnival is packed with lyrics worth listening to, even if it means replaying a song to pick up what you missed the first time. Some songs are simply arranged while others strive for a more extravagantly composed place on the album.
With 24 tracks and a running time of just over an hour, The Carnival has its share of up’s and down’s. For me, the most notable downfalls of the album are the collection of interludes, or skits, that juxtapose the album. They tell a sub story of Wyclef in court being looked at as a bad example. I think they are pointless, boring, and unnecessary. Luckily, they are easy enough to skip.
Stuffed between the interludes are the reason I’m writing about The Carnival in the first place. Wyclef mixes several genres to make really fantastic, thought-provoking songs.
“Apocalypse” starts the album off right (with the exception of lame skit #1.) An operatic vocal track repeats over and over again, keeping the chords of the song tightly knit together. There is also a small inclusion of lyrics in Haitian Creole, something that Wyclef continues on to use more exclusively.
“Prelude To ‘To All the Girls’” is short but sweet. It sets the tone of an old crooning tear-jerker of a song. This mood is continued into the beginning of “To All the Girls” but picks up and changes to a more empowered self-proclamation of Wyclef’s.
“Gone Till November” is one of my favorite songs on The Carnival. The words are simple but effective, and the string section makes the song an instant classic. Even when the beat kicks in, the song maintains the same charm.
“Mona Lisa,” besides being a great song, is a triumph simply by highlighting the Neville Brothers and actually making it sound badass. The song sounds like a really awesome slow dance.
By far, the biggest hit on The Carnival was “We Trying to Stay Alive.” The song features a sample from The Bee Gees’ disco hit, “Stayin’ Alive,” and I dare anyone to listen to this song and not have an inclination to dance.
The last three songs on the album are sung entirely in Haitian Creole which (in my opinion) is the biggest departure from making a completely hip-hop album. The songs obviously have their roots in national music, which makes for an interesting end to The Carnival.
Wyclef’s Carnival isn’t perfect. The numerous interludes are pretty pointless, and because of it, makes the album way too long. Once you’ve listened to the album from start to finish one time, you can then learn to play your favorites. For me, I’ve listened to the same sequence of tracks for so many years now, it’s pretty much second nature.
The Carnival is an album that takes a little bit of work on the part of the listener. But, once you make some minor adjustments and route your way through, there are some great moments that make it all worth it.
