It’s been a long time, and Wyclef has finally taken a break from producing platinum hits for other artists. He’s back with his second solo venture, The Ecleftic Two Sides II a Book.
Clef has returned with nothing less than a spectacular album. On his first solo joint, The Carnival, Wyclef brought a vast array of sounds and styles to the listener. Ecleftic has more of a hip-hop flavor than The Carnival. As usual, Clef gets down with a wide range of guests, Whitney Houston, Earth, Wind & Fire, WWF Superstar The Rock and the king of country himself, Kenny Rogers.
Even still Wyclef breaks it down for all the hip-hop heads out there. He even spits a little venom towards his former friend, Canibus, on “However You Want It.”
“I got betrayed by one of my disciples/ which one?/ look through the crowd/ you can spot the traitor with a tattoo on his arm/ his symbol is a microphone/ an intellectual/ a wanna be Rakim but too extraterrestrial.”
Clef also addresses the apparently defunct group, The Fugees. The album opens with Wyclef railing about how much he wants to do another Fugee album, but his partners Pras and Lauryn Hill have yet to get at him. “All I hear is Fugee this/ Fugee that/ Where Fugee at?/ I need Fugees spit up on this track/ Lauryn, if you’re listening, Pras, if you’re listening/ Give me a call/ I’m in the lab in the Booker basement.”
The few tracks that aren’t strictly hip-hop are stunning. “Runaway” with Earth, Wind & Fire and the Product G&B is by far the standout song on an already impressive album.
Earth, Wind & Fire lay down the music while Clef and The Product G&B keep the vocals interesting and entertaining.
Wyclef delves into his Caribbean Roots on “Diallo.” The track is reminiscent of Bob Marley as it flows along. The lyrics tell the tale of Sinadu Diallo, the man shot 41 times by the New York City Police Department.
Clef sings, “Who’ll be the next to fire?/ Forty One shots by Diallo’s side/ You said he reached sir/ but he had no piece sir/ but now he rests in peace sir/ you guys are vampires/ in the middle of the night/ sucking on human blood/ is that your appetite?”
Overall, The Ecleftic is an amazing album. Wyclef stays home with a lot of hip-hop but shows his diversity. It’s a very Ecleftic album.
