Now Lauryn Hill's gone bag-lady bonkers, the Haitian Fugees' boss rifled through his little black book for more laydeez to play with.
Norah Jones, Shakira and Mary J Blige are a few that answered his call.
Wyclef Jean is a rare artistic breed - the more big names he collaborates with, the better he gets.
On this laid-back fifth album he rounds up another impressive cast list, mixing rock, rap, reggae, Bollywood beats, dancehall and even samba.
His latest star-studded collection sees him returning to one of his favourite themes: immigration and identity.
The heroes and heroines of his narratives are illegal immigrants, strippers, deadbeat dads and single mothers - but, with the help of his guests, his portrayals of these outcasts are remarkably sympathetic.
The reggae-lite production is seductively summery (especially on the gorgeous "Slow Down"), if slightly aimless at times; despite the influence of Wyclef's conscience, his eye is too firmly set on a carnival atmosphere to ever sound preachy.
The new single "Sweetest Girl" has "hit" written all over it, a reggae-tinged track with a vocal contribution from Akon, Lil Wayne and Niia that fits in perfectly with Wyclef 's sound.
Paul Simon provides a classic chorus on "Fast Car", a folky warning against youthful foolishness.
Sizzla's slot on "Welcome to the East", "What About the Baby" featuring Mary j Blige and the silky "Any Other Day" with Norah Jones also stand out on this impressive display
Easy on the ears, this album is a shot of summer for the chilled days ahead.
Enjoy.

I know this album is called "The Carnival," but I don't understand why it only has Wyclef Jean's name on the cover. There are so many guest appearances on this album that it should be called Wyclef and Friends. When 11 out of 14 songs have a guest rapper/singer/musician on it (and some with numerous guest appearances), the album has bypassed a solo artists' album and become an collaborative concert. It worries me that Wyclef is such a strong artist but let the other artists carry him on this album, especially when "The Carnival" and "The Ecleftic" were such great albums because of songs he did alone.
The beats on this album don't stand out at all, and then when he does conscious songs about subjects like young prostitution, crime, and poverty, the beats bug me because they're so happy-go-lucky. It's like Jean decided to hide messages behind clap-your-hands-singalong tunes, and it didn't work.
I'm a firm supporter of cinema, music, and literary artists, but this is one time when I understand why people buy bootlegs. I couldn't be more disapppointed, and I'm such a fan of his music, but this CD was so dumbed down that I can't even find anything good to say about it.

This is a somewhat tough album to put a finger on, because while it is catchy, well-crafted and has a bit more depth than the great majority of pop albums coming out, it still is a pop album. The message that Wyclef fans found on the first "Carnival," "The Eclectic" and his other, less-played solo albums takes a second seat to the production and musical hodgepodge. Most of the tracks deliver a bouncy, catchy, poppy feel, so, say, even if were singing about war or politics, those messages are immersed in upbeat sounds. And while only a few people can pull off the multi-cultural musical blend that's here (and Wyclef is one of them), the CD suffers from overproduction.
It's not bad, and Wyclef sounds like he had fun recording this one, and it's an upbeat one, but just not a deep one. Wyclef pulls out many tricks, but few of the tracks have the subtle, straightforward power of, say, "Diallo" from "Eclectic."
Just like "Carnival" was a sign of its time, "Carnival II" is as well, opting for a more commercial onset, tackling various styles, touching on many music bases -- there's another song with Shakira (with whom he remade his own "Hips Don't Lie"), appearances by Sizzla, Serj Tankian (of System of a Down), Chamillionaire, Akon (one of the big hook guys of the moment), Mary J. Blige, Norah Jones and even Paul Simon (Paul Simon??!?).
Unlike most acts who get together with so many guest artists, the sound here is definitely that of Wyclef.
But, unfortunately, as solid as this album is, it just feels like some substance is missing, mostly due, again, to the overproduction. If only Wyclef chose to make an album more for his base, rather than the mainstream.
But, for an album named "Carnival II," this album is definitely a global party and, yes, worth getting. Party to this one, and you won't find fault in it.

Wyclef Jean likes music, and he doesn't discriminate by genre. His jack of all trades approach to his past albums brought a distinctly unique feel to them, but with this latest effort, it seems that while he may well be a jack of all trades, he's a master of none.
Jean's a producer at heart, and it's always shown. Relying on the collaborative effort to produce his visions has always worked well for him, and this album is no exception. A huge issue in production, however, is knowing when to stop.
Almost every one of Jean's songs feels like a mess. There's energy and passion, but there is no clarity to it. Mixing genres is fine, but the plan wasn't realized here, and just taking the different musical styles and throwing them into a blender isn't going to be enough.
For all the passion, talent, and exploration here, there just wasn't enough planning.

I would first like to say that this cd is good. This cd is better than most of the current music out there. I don't much care for current music and this sounds awfully POP to me so I gave it a 3 of 5. I am a huge fan of Wyclef and the whole refugee clan, so I expected a little of that old style but didn't find much on this album. The Score, the first Carnival, and even that old John Forte cd are great (not to mention Lauryn Hill), but not so much the Carnival II.

Wyclef is still a lyrical genius but I think I only heard "a few" songs where he sings, & Fast Car is probably my favorite on the cd. The message is in the music on this cd, but like past ones the music is not the message on this one. I think the only issue I did not hear Wyclef mention was possibly gun control. His lyrics/ message was subtle yet very intelligent, but the way it was portrayed was just so pop that I don't know how long this cd will stay in my 6 disc changer. If wyclef wanted to get his messages out to as many different markets as possible he very much succeeded. I'm sure there is a track that could be played in just about every country in every continent off this album. I know that in order to make money today your records have to sound like pop, so if this is what Wyclef was trying to accomplish I'm sure he will make lots of money. I just hope Wyclef's new style doesn't rub off on Sizzla Kalonji.

I don't recall ever hearing a cd with so many different genres on it. This cd should have been called Wyclef & Friends. I like lots of different genres, but they were just all sort of a blend of pop once mixed with the other genres. Wyclef in my opinion could have made all of these songs and just had the other artist release them on their own cd's, and then came out with his own cd. There must have been 8 or 9 different genres on this cd, but overall it will get filed under pop. I'm sure the ipod generation will eat it up though and all the Akon fans will be thrilled. Its just sad to me that in order to make money today you have to have T-pain or Akon on the hook.

~bbr