The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

I know this is a seminal album for hip-hop, and it does have a nice laid-back, R&B-feel to it. Plus I like the message and emotion behind the lyrics throughout. There's just not a lot of songs here that really stick in my brain the way some others do.

It stands the test of time. Still a good listen!

The issue with some of the mainstream US music is, that it tends to play too safe and to value production effect over musical depth and actually diminish the value of the songwriting and artistical performance. This record feels like many US movies that don't dare an open end, or a sad ending. Like how the Blade Runner director's cut is way darker than the cinematic edition. So sad, there could be more to this, given lyrics, songs and voice.

Correcto

When we had a Missy Elliott album, this is why I was disappointed. There's some real chops here. Her voice is great but man this album goes on for a bit. Not a masterpiece. Good to listen. I think if this was tighter it could do more.

For the lovers of the genre, it's probably a masterpiece. For me, it was a decent listen, but I found myself growing bored the longer it went on; I don't really get why it's supposed to be different/better than other, similar albums I'd heard before. 3.5 stars

This wasn't terrible, but I really don't understand how this was number 1 on the Apple all time best album list?

Solid

This exists in that nebulous area where it isn't bad, but there's just nothing that pulls me in enough to get excited about it. I find my mind drifting as it plays and allowing it to become background noise. I can certainly see why others enjoy it. The vocal delivery is competent. The instrumentation is well performed, and is certainly more evolved than the average hip-hop from this era. It has a very "modern R&B" feel to it, which I've never really preferred. Maybe that's the turn off? Overall it's just nothing I can get passionate about either for or against.

Not bad but also not that great. It had some good moments though.

good but it made me realize i'm not into rnb :/

3 star Already listened at recommendation of Kevin

It's hard not to rank albums higher because you have good memories with it. However, just a couple of songs carried this one.

Not my usual but actually kinda good

So fucking good. Extremely strong 3.

Some really great stuff on this album. As per the usual, the hits were not my favorite. Final Hour was excellent, and the piano on the ending track was so wonderful. 3.5/5

5/10

This album improved over multiple listens. Still inky average but better then expected

Some undeniably great tracks but I never quite got the hype for this. As an album it's mostly good, occasionally great. But it's too long and there's plenty of filler.

I get that this is a great album. I can totally hear it, I’m just not a big R&B guy and I took away a star for having skits between songs

Confesso che mi dispiace molto ma non mi ci sono connesso. Sono certo che ci sia un motivo per cui è un album così acclamato e premiato però io non ho trovato una sola canzone che mi facesse dire “questa devo assolutamente salvarmela”. Non è brutto, ma è lungo. Mi è piaciuto lo stacchetto ricorrente nell’aula di scuola.

There are some classic songs but this album is way too long and stuffed with multiple skippable songs. Not bad songs, but certainly ones that are not necessary. I'm OK calling it a classic but it has been canonized as an all time great album and I don't agree with that.

Ok. Good rhymes.

We've had some unremarkable albums citing this one as a major influence, & it's cool to hear the real deal now. It's good! There's a couple things holding this back from being something I'll really listen to again: missing the pop music centres in the brain means the smoother R&B gets the less it registers & the 'reggae-loving white hippies will love this' sensation is just too strong. it's like they're in the room with me wearing bandanas, plugging their piezo-pickup-through-DI guitars right into my headphones and groovin' along. digging that it's 'so real' and speaks to their experiences growing up as wealthy suburbanites who sold a bit of weed. Sorry Lauryn, it's not your fault. culture: regretted. (⌐♻_♻)

More of a 3.5

Good

some all-time amazing songs brought down by too many additional songs that sound very similar, add little, and go on for 5 minutes.

She's a very talented singer, but this doesn't hit me.

A couple of great songs but that's about it

Not the Number 1 album according to Apple. It's good but not the best of all time.

Maybe you had to be there but given how critically acclaimed this album is I was expecting something a lot more. It felt very middle of the road and nothing really blew my mind.

Tras el éxito de The Fugees, Lauryn Hill inició su carrera en solitario de manera espectacular con este disco que concedió al hip-hop una autopista hacia el mundo pop a lomos del R&B más suave. Una colección de canciones, en las que la artista vuelca su pensamiento personal y político. Una de las más destacadas es la sensual "Doo Wop (That Thing)", en la que aborda el juego sexual desde la mirada de los dos amantes. También "Superstar", en la que critica a los músicos que dan más importancia al éxito que a la buena música. Y personalmente me gustan "Final Hour" ('puedes tener dinero, puedes tener poder / pero mantén la vista en la hora final') y sus colaboraciones con Mary J. Blidge ("I Used to Love Him") y con D'Angelo ("Nothing Even Matters").

Listened probably 2.5 times now, it's never really stuck even though I want to love it. Still really good music, though, on most tracks.

I like this enough. Some nice beats and Melodies. I’d probably never listen to it again. But a lot of sample-able stuff on this. I can hear a lottt of things Kanye was inspired by on this. Songs drag on a bit. Good vibes tho.

i wanted to like this album. she has a great voice and most of the beats are awesome. the album just drags on for entirely too long and so i found myself counting down how many songs i had left which is never a good sign. the combination of the length and the overbearingly preachy lyrics made this feel like more of a chore than anything else. my assumption is someone told her that cds could fit 80 minutes and she was miseducated enough to think that meant the album had to be that long.

Okay album. Inspiring lyrics

Some decent songs.

Favourites: lost ones, final hour, forgive them father, every ghetto every city, Decent album but a little too long. 3/5

Surprisingly good.

Favourite song - doo wop

Not really my thing, although I like the instrumentation & beats quite a bit. Hill has a great voice but there's often way too much ornamentation going on for me. Also a little preachy. I really liked the classroom snippets. And track 11.

This album is famous enough that even I had heard of it beforehand, and while it's certainly indicative of the 90s with all the r&b style embellishments in her singing, I did enjoy it. Nicely tied together with the classroom bits. Not my favorite of the hip-hop albums on this list though, sorry Ms. Hill.

Lots of skits. Nice flow. I am bad at picking up on lyrics on first listen so I am probably going to miss a lot.

I’m slowly but surely warming to the hip-hop genre and the talent here is obvious, but might be worth revisiting once my opinions have set.

This...is worth the listen. Enjoy.

Not my thing. The hits saved this from being a 2.

its a 7 i like it it feels a little preachy at times but its otherwise good. again sadly this website doesnt have half stars so just take this 3 with a grain of salt tbch

I've never much been into the genre, but I can hear why this is an influential and important album, I liked a couple of songs but it's not something that I would listen myself on a regular basis.

belle alcune parti cantate

Didn’t think much of it

Well, I guess as R&B/Hip-Hop goes this would be average or above. The vocal quality is there. It’s a little repetitive and one note and I didn’t hear that stand out hook I would necessarily remember. It’s just not a style I engage with often or purposely seek out a full album. Mellow tone mostly though.

I guess I’m experiencing my own miseducation on this one. While there are a few songs that rise above most of the others, there were not many major standouts. It’s a bit long, most of the songs hang at the same tempo, and the overuse of the teacher v. student classroom samples I think helps lessen the impact of the intended message. Still, it’s obvious how talented Ms. Hill is and no doubt future female hip-hop/rap/soul artists would not be where they are without this record.

Good music

I could try to explain myself but it’s based in redundancy and over-length.

Really don’t get the hype for this. Pretty standard hip hop stuff.

Pop R & B isn't my usual taste in music but the further into this album I got, the more I enjoyed it. Especially like the socially conscious songs and the variety of influences (dancehall, rap). Always cool to get a feminist perspective. Really like the cover of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You."

Not the genre that I usually go for, but I still enjoyed it.

I wanted to love this but it was only like. A bit more r&b pop than I wanted. Good, but just a 3.

sweet and cool

Too much soul yodeling for me, pick a note and fecking sing it.

If you like hip-hop, then go for it.

Aldrig riktigt diggat Lauryn. Det är inte dåligt. Men soundet fastnar inte. Jag borde tycka det är skönare. Men tror lite för lugnt, soft.

It sounds like 1998 all over again

I was looking forward to this one, having missed it back in the day. It did indeed have solid raw emotions expressed all the way through. Well done. I also hated listening to it, finding it long, long, long and rambly. But now you don't. Now you don't. Okay, I got it. I got it.

This album is not really to my taste, but I was impressed by the musicianship and the quality of engineering.

I dunno. It's fine. Nothing really gets me excited though, not like the original Score.

Soulful bliss, nice grooves, and a good mood starter

Dit album luister ik zowaar nu en dan

Enjoyable listen, but didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. I like her work in Fugees better than her solo work.

Some good ones, but some just felt repetitive after a while. Definitely could be that it was not 100% my cup of tea though

Nothing really special. Chill music w african girl rap - cant mark even her voice 5/10

# Playlist track - Everything is Everything # Notes - Cool listen, but not really my thing. - Half the album is just OK, but there are a few great songs. Not enough for a great album, tho.

A couple of great songs, the rest is fine.

High 3

Not my thing, but it was huge for a while. . .

Knew little bits of this but good to hear the whole thing. She's definitely very talented but truthfully I only really liked a couple of the tracks.

Listened to half of this in the car driving up a rainy motorway and the second half walking through a park in the sunshine. Surprisingly enough my impression of the album shifted dramatically to the positive. I was finding it a bit boring but it perked up. Or maybe I did.

It was good, my favorite was Doo Wop.

Um, yeah. I was kind of excited to listen to this record, I never really did, and I know there are people who love it. It didn't live up to the billing in my brain. There are a lot of hip-hop acts that I prefer to this. It's not bad, just not my cup of tea.

Great voice but not as good as the fugees By a long way

Pretty good

The album nicely reflects nostalgia, from the scenes in the classroom to the reflection on the past as an adult. The occasional woodwind was refreshing. That said, the love songs did nothing for me, and the overwhelming religious moralism was a big turn off.

This is a good album, but unfortunately it's just not my style of music. Doo Wop is great though. The guy who keeps chatting throughout the album, however, is not. Sad to only give it 3 stars, but again, it just isn't my type of music :(

Good beats and fun songs. I just don’t really like hip hop anymore.

Standouts: Doo Wop (That Thing), Everything is Everything, 3.5

This is an album that I've heard of for years, it is certainly renowned. But if I've heard anything from it, I don't know it. Wikipedia says "neo soul and R&B album with some songs based in hip hop soul and reggae". I went into this cautiously optimistic. First song is totally hip-hop, meh. The more soul songs are pretty good. The more hip-hop, the less I like it. Lyrics like "So I keep makin' the street's ballads / While you lookin' for dressin' to go with your tossed salad"?? That's just dumb. There's a lot of spoken interludes between songs, but I find them more distracting than adding to the experience. And I frequently found myself wishing the songs were around 4 minutes long vs 5-6. I have nothing against long songs, as long as there's a point. These don't really hold up to the length (IMHO). “Doo Wop” is a high point, the hip-hop singing is offset by the solid musical groove. Then we move to “Superstar”, which leaves me cold. really cold. And so on. The more soul songs are better, the more hip-hop, not so much. There’s several songs that are pretty good for the genre, though, I can understand why it was popular, without loving it. Solid 3.

Yeah was nice, I have never listened to it before. Some enjoyable songs on it for sure.

- Bestimmt Pionierstatus in der Hip-Hop Szene, vor allem für weibliche Künstlerinnen - coole Mischung aus RnB, Hip-Hop, Soul und Funk. Sehr einheitlich im Stil, aber dadurch für mich persönlich etwas langweilig (da kein Fan von den Genres) - Schöne markante Stimme und auch die Idee des Konzept-Albums ist sehr nett. - Im Großen und Ganzen aber relativ unbeeindruckend 2,75/5

This was fine.

A bit underwhelming

maybe because I've been getting a bunch of hip hop albums and I don't like hip hop one bit, this was not that impressive to me. wouldn't call it bad either but I don't think I would've gone crazy for it when it was released and I'm even less likely to be crazy about it now. the concept and its execution is cool though, I'll give it that

meh...

great voice - wonderful lyrics. not my style but glad to hear it

Nice voice, but nothing really interesting.

Kendte mere end forventede, og det var slet ikke så kedeligt.

Jeg huskede det her album som bedre. Det har stadig nogle fantastiske sange, men også for meget fyld. Særligt de mange interludes mellem sangene får det til at virke langt og meget 90er agtigt.

Probably a 3.5 more than a 3, but she doesn’t get the benefit of rounding up because she’s such a goober.

Bra album.

Overrated but ok

I remember this album being huge when I was in college when it was released. Doo Wop (That Thing) was everywhere, and rightly so, it’s a five star song. The rest of the album is pretty good, but nothing else really grabbed me.

One song on here that I love (Ex Factor). The rest were fine but didn’t really do anything for me.

loved it!

Pretty solid album. Some misses but overall has good vibes.

Solid, if not completely my vibe.

I thought there were examples of good lyrics and some genuinely catchy hooks (Doo Wop and Everything is Everything stick out), but the melody and songwriting just don't do anything for me. Vocal runs for days though.

Favorite track: Forgive them Father

Three great songs, the rest is ok. 3.5

this is not that much for me, some songs can be quite slow, and some productions could benefit from being like truly jazzier and free, she's a great vocalist tho

Fresh and cool!

Pretty OK to be fair. Way outside of my wheelhouse, but I actually enjoyed the little skits throughout it, which I often find unbearable. Lauren also has a very rich voice, that you feel could handle much bigger vocals than she's offered here. That Thing is a big old blast of nostalgia. Ultimately, it felt a touch samey and went on twice as long as I'd like, but it gets a three, which is probably more than I thought I'd give it.

I love her voice and love so many aspects of several of these songs. I’ve pulled several for playlists recently. But while I can appreciate the artistry of rapping (or hip hop or however the spoken word aspect is described), it doesn’t connect with me. Recently my wife read Catcher in the Rye, one of my favorite books for many years. She said she appreciated the writing, thought it was well written and that the characters definitely felt “real”. But, ultimately, she just didn’t like it. I feel similarly about many of the tracks here. I appreciate them, but don’t care to listen repeatedly. But the ones I like, I really, really like.

The first song, Lost Ones, was annoying, and the album ran out of steam at the end; didn't like the cover of Can't Take My Eyes Off of You. The rest was pretty decent stuff especially considering I'm not an R&B/hip-hop guy, though the incessant "yo, yo, yo" did get on my nerves. I also thought the interspersing of the kids talking about what they think love is was pretty cool and interesting.

Good soul music but not really my taste

Thoughts before listening: This album came out when I was in high school...and it was huge. It's still huge, at least from a critical standpoint. I've never actually known anyone that would list this as one of their favorite albums yet its consistently at the top of best of the 90s lists. Maybe my friends and I aren't the target demographic. For me, I've never listened to this although I certainly know the hits, especially "Doo Woo That Thing" which is a perfectly fine late-90s neo soul hit. In general though I prefer Lauryn Hill's work with the Fugees. Review: I really like Lauryn Hill's overall vibe and her skills as both a singer and rapper, but I still don't see why this album has so much hype. I'm not hearing much here that sets this apart from her 90s R&B contemporaries like Mary J Blige, Janet Jackson, Aaliyah, etc. In fact I'd say those others have more memorable hits, and although "Doo Wop..." and "Ex Factor" are both great songs, I still consider "Killing Me Softly" from the Fugees to be the quintessential Lauryn Hill song. This is a 3-star album.

duplicate

ya, ya... ya.

She is obviously very talented, but the combination of 90s "ballads" and hip hop are not really my thing

3.5

ITS THE TIKTOK SOUND ("How can I explain myself?"). Generally enjoyed. Fun hip-hop and reggae exploration. Pioneering for the time, I'm sure, but probably not one I'll be putting on my playlists

na ja, geht so

I won't write a long review 'cos I was late checking out today's album. Just like Ms. Hill is late for half of her shows, I might be tempted to add rather unkindly. ;) I pushed the "like" button for both the 5/5 and 1/5 reviews currently topping this section. Honestly, the first one is a beautiful, vivid memory of a personal connection with the album, and I "felt" what fans of it could feel if it's played at the right moment for them. And the second encapsulates in one harsh sentence my own personal gripes with the record: not enough memorable earworms for an album with such a "reputation", and mostly demonstrative vocal shenanigans that rarely build up into a truly exciting experience. I love Fugees' *The Score*, it's one of my favourite rap albums of all time. But *The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill" doesn't work for me. I don't know if it's because Ms. Hill's reach as a soul singer exceeds her real grasp (she certainly has wonderful skills overall... but are those up to the task of what the singer aims at doing here, i.e. crafting a "classic" soul record worthy of her peers in the past?). Or if it's because my inability to fully appreciate the record stems from the quality of the compositions per se. Those have a lot of interchangeable moments, which only seem to serve as a pretext for the extreme "performative" aspect of Lauryn's Hill's vocal contributions in that "neo-soul" mode. And it reaaaaaally feels like I would at leasy like the album a little if Ms. Hill rapped more on it, instead of singing. One thing struck me that hasn't struck me before as I tried listening to this album again, though. Those catchy quavers played on piano in "Doo Wop"' sound *very* close to the ones used by Dr. Dré in his hit "Still D.R.E.", out *a year* AFTER Lauryn Hill's single was released. A way to state that the production on this record was still "on point" and even sometimes relevant for the times, and that I'm not gonna deny its groundbreaking aspects for hip hop at large. I only wish the whole thing was not as "self-indlugent" and lengthy as it is. I understand the need for Hill to look at herself in the mirror as she probes her soul. But if you do it for too long, you risk coming off as vain and disconnected from real life. It's a tricky balance for sure. Hence why I still respect what the artist attempts to do here, even if it's clearly not for me. 3/5 for the purposes of what my subjective version of this list of "essential albums" might be. Which translates to a 8/10 grade for more "objective" and general purposes (5+3) Number of albums left to review: 324 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 302 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 166 (including this one, even if I doubt there will be room left for it) Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many other records are more important to me): 218

Listened back in 2019. One of Alison N’s fav albums - I thought it was solid and would save.

3+ Stars (9/15)

Hill's voice is authoritative as it ever has been and cements her position as one of the great voices of the time. The album could do without the skits. Those are interesting only the first time you hear it. After that, it would be better if the music spoke for itself.

Enjoyable and great history of the Genre. but overall I found myself distracted by other things

I liked a couple songs, but mostly the songs lost me and I realized I wasnt listening fully.

Nettes R&B Album mit ein paar bekannten Liedern

Ex-Factor sample recognized from Drake, Nice for What

Not my preferred type of music, but I’m sensing a really clear perspective or sensibility that she might have had while writing this. Nothing is grating, it all feels very cohesive, and each song has an impact on me (again, even though I’m not a huge fan of this music genre/style).

Not great driving music. Decent office background music.

Not bad.

Shallow hip hop without any extraordinary or memorable titles. The only track that saves the album from absolute average is "Doo Wop (That Thing)".

Listened to this after Apple Music named this it's #1 album ever and the controversy that ensued. This may have set the bar too high for this listening experience. Album has some absolute bangers and a lot of songs that don't compare.

Gosh. I don’t even know what to say to sum up how I feel. I didn’t like the vignettes, but some of the songs grew on me on a second listen. I liked the hit That Thing and would give that 5 stars. Idk I like the MTV Unplugged 2.0 more actually.

Not really my favorite type of music. Has some high points. The singles are pretty undeniable in their appeal. This album feels 30-45 minutes too long for largely having the same feel all throughout.

Not my style

Obvious classic, but I didn't pay it enough attention to give it a proper rating.

3.5 after 2x listens

Fantastic perspective.

Somewhat interesting.

Wilde het afzetten omdat ik het vooroordeel had dat dit niet aan mij besteedt zou zijn, maar het is echt goed! Ga 't niet vaker aanzetten alleen.

Lauryn kan heel aardig zingen, en produceert ook hele catchy tracks. Not bad.

Has a soul, really pleasant. 3,5/5

3.5

Had better memories of this album, I thought it would be a 4 or 5, but in the end I had to take it on in chunks, the songs just got a bit repetitive.

I feel like I used to like this album more

I have never been a big Fugees fan, and I never really personally liked Lauryn Hill's music due to the R&B elements, which is a genre I generally do not like. As with all genre's, there are exceptions, but this album is not one of them. I honestly can see how it is a 4 to a lot of people and a 5 to some, especially for the time, with the blend of R&B and hip-hop in a classic but still modern way. It is definitely respectable compared to a lot of the other stuff coming out at the time. However, looking at other albums that came out in 1998 in the hip-hop genre, I was busy listening to Hieroglyphics, Outkast, Goodie Mob, Jurassic 5, Black Star, and Beastie Boys.

Mjög góð söngkona. Fínasta plata en ég held ég myndi samt alltaf velja eitthvað annað. Ég fékk reyndar svona ljósaperumóment þegar ég spáði í hvað spjallið væri eins og í kennslustofu og svo áttaði ég mig á því platan heitir "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill". Var það pælingin?

This was rather repetitive and I’m struggling to understand the hype around the entirety of the album. ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’ is AMAZING, but it grew on me with repeated listens. I presume this is similar. I enjoyed ‘Lost Ones’ and ‘Superstar’ but nothing else. Those skits were pretty annoying (it’s a pain that they aren’t separate tracks so cannot be skipped) but I understand they show a classroom and link the album together thematically, which is better than most skits — which are just annoying and seem to serve very little purpose. 5/10

I really liked the slower, non-hip hop songs. Top Tracks: 1) The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 2) Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You 3) ExFactor 4) To Zion 5) Tell Him 6) When It Hurts So Bad

Worth listening too, but not my style.

Listened Before? N Pretty good. Familiar with her voice and a few songs but never listened much. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Doo Wop

Favourite song: Lost Ones

The singing is beautiful. That rapping is honest and bears not a trace of self-aggrandizement.

This album was fine. A little too much hip-hop/rap, not enough R&B for my liking. But I didn't hate it.

Surprisingly enjoyable. Good mix of rap, hip hop, and reggae with none of them being too overbearing

groovy. way way way too long. zionism? very very very 1998 soul hop.

It's alright, depends on the mood and the song

SAVOUR: To Zion, Doo Wop

If the whole album sounded like the introduction this would of been a five star album. Unfortunately the next song was a big downgrade, the vocals didn't seem to match with the rhythm at all. This album did get better but there were still songs that didn't really work at all. This is a frustrating album for me because Lauryn Hill shows she's capable of making amazing music with depth and layers, but doesn't showcase it enough. The songs also felt like they went on a bit too much with quite a bit of repitition.

Complicado de formular uma opinião sobre esse álbum. Dá pra dividir em alguns pontos. Primeiramente as próprias músicas em si. Apesar de algumas músicas dançarem e se misturarem entre outros estilos, ele é majoritariamente de hip hop. Eu não manjo absolutamente nada de hip hop, então sou completamente incapaz de avaliar esse estilo de música. Me sinto completamente fora de casa. Mas elas passam uma impressão que são de fato muito boas, eu acho. As letras parecem ser bem cheias de significado, principalmente pra certos públicos alvos, pessoas que se identificam mais com esse estilo, deve dar um feels. Outro ponto que é incomum e chama muito a atenção são as conversas da sala de aula no final de algumas músicas. Achei elas interessantes e envolventes. O problema só é que, ao contrário de alguns álbuns do Tenacious D, elas foram colocadas no final das próprias músicas, dando uma zoada nas playlists em que elas forem adicionadas hoje em dia no mundo moderno kkkkkkkk Imagino que foram pensadas full na experiência de ouvir o álbum de cabo a rabo mesmo. Apesar do álbum parecer ser muito bom, como a avaliação é pessoal, eu iria dar 2 estrelas, porém ao longo do álbum apareceram algumas músicas que puxam mais pro R&B e Souls, que já me chamaram mais a atenção do que o Hip Hop. Então acabei resolvendo dar um upgrade pra 3 estrelas mesmo.

Not my type of music, but I wouldn’t say it’s bad.

Not a huge hiphop fan so wasn't super familiar. That said, there were some famous songs that I was loosely familiar that I now know originate on this album.... I was just into other music in the 1990s.

It’s lovely, she can sing, good rapping, exciting song composure. The length drags a bit and the strong songs are up front.

Nice to listen to, but a little too long.

Cool album. Lauryn Hill was obviously really influential. Member of the fugees and lover of Bob Marley. Album was cool, the background compositions were sick. Lyrics are a lot about love and religion.

Pretty good, but not my thing.

Not a style I'm usually a fan of, but Lauryn's voice is really fantastic in this. Great backing vocals throughout, especially noticeable in Doo Wop and Superstar. (Superstar gets points taken off for sounding like a Megan Trainor song, especially at the beginning.) Melodies and percussion throughout were nothing special. Cool rapping rhythm that has that satisfying laid-back offbeat delay. Sometimes makes me feel a little on-edge though, and very difficult to focus on the lyrics when the lyrics are so deliberately and consistently off the beat by the same fraction of a second. Many of the tracks overstay their welcome. Classroom interludes (e.g. end of Ex-Factor) are useful for breaking up the fairly repetitive music. Love the overlapping harmonies and general verse/chorus harmony choices in I Used to Love Him. Less so in Everything is Everything. (Two chords. E and F? exhausting.) Nothing Even Matters is just fun to listen to. Great one. Can't Take My Eyes Off You - (I Love You Baby) - so much missed potential. If it were a ballad (piano? acoustic guitar?) it would have potential to be the best track on the album. The percussion and too-fast tempo ruin the track. Good: Doo Wop (That Thing), To Zion, I Used to Love Him, Nothing Even Matters

Lauryn Hill as good flow. The album starts of great for the first part but it lingers a bit too long. Could have been 50-55 min instead of 80. 3 stars

Not my cup of tea. It's ok and interesting though.

Ok but overhyped in my opinion.

ehh kinda okay ish, maybe 6/7

Rap is likely my least favourite genre to listen to. However even I can say this is an incredible sounding album with tonnes of different genres expertly crafted throughout. This one is totally not for me but seems like it is a classic.

Solid and iconic. Not my typical style, but hard not to appreciate.

Solid album. Weirdly I quite liked the interlude bits with the teacher guy. Favourite song I Used to Love Him.

A couple of anthems and some nice songwriting. Great vocals but a pretty average album in general.

Muziek voor tijdens het koken, wel leuk

Forgive Them father was good. Rest of the album was fine.

Superstar song is great

Not so much my style but nice

I know she’s iconic, but this album dragged for me. I was on board for the first third, but seemed to begin lacking in variation to keep my interest. Not bad, but not my taste.

Great beats and some memorable tunes. A little off putting to me there were like 100 different musicians who partook in production. Why did they have to have a different bassist for every track?

As others have written, there are some really great moments here, but you have to sit through a lot of filler and an ongoing thread of boring interludes/skits about a classroom of teenage kids with their teacher ruminating on the true meaning of love, or something, or whatever. Was hoping for more overall.

Funky drum loops cool Songwriting sometimes unmemorable and long winded Some good hooks Great voice Very soulful

Another "impossible to avoid" album from my yoof. And, to be fair, a very solid addition to the genre - perhaps suffers slightly over the years as the hype around how groundbreaking it was has fallen away. Good not great.

This album is a bit of a mixed bag for me. I much prefer the more soulful / singing songs to the rest, which I'm not big on. I actively dislike all the backing uh, uh, uh's - yo, yo, yo stuff that are littered throughout the whole thing. I think it actually undermines some of the nicer songs. Overall, it's alright, it's easy enough to listen to.

Always thought she has a great voice, and this is a good album, but the constant "yea, yo, uhuh" mutterings started to do my nut in!

Great meaningful album and I know due to its impact I should like it more. I just am not overly into the style.

I preferred the Fugees, although Ex Factor is a great track, particularly the guitar solo. Nice little cameo from Carlos Santana elsewhere.

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: I do, I skimmed through this as I’ve heard a few tracks previously but you can understand its significance in history and it’s a very easy listen Favourite song: Track 13 - Everything is Everything

I have heard this album sampled all my life. Definitely a classic, though the more reggae lean does put it outside what I normally enjoy. Definitely classic tracks but I do find a lot of the b-sides don’t really do it for me.

All the gas bagging at the end of most tracks ruins the flow of what otherwise is a good album.

Not bad - lots of artists definitely influenced by her

Decent Album

3.4/5 nice soul but too long

So not my genre. Some genuinely good tracks in here though that are vaguely familiar. A few tracks for the bedroom perhaps. Shagadelic.

Some great songs but also some fillers.

easy listening 90's hip hop not something i lean towards but is inoffensive and nice seems quite a long album, and got boring after a while, as most of the tunes had the same tones, beats and rhythms to my un educated hop hop ears

Ahhh so that’s who sings the That Thing song. I like that song and good album overall. I don’t really love it when albums have a million spoken-word tracks. But yeah anyways still good

That Thing is an all-time great. Lots of other good ones, but I could do without the gospel songs

Some of the songs are cool. Yet, parts of the album, are almost invisible, playing in the background, one after the other. I like the singer's voice when she's singing, but not so much when rapping. Talking between songs is a huge minus. I think I might be allergic to all those "yo" and "aha aha". Doo Wop 5/5 Lost ones 4/5 Overall: mixed feelings

nice blend of hip hop and r&b. beautiful voice. bass for days. i was impressed. this is what an album of this genre is supposed to sound like and it’s no wonder why it is so highly regarded. highlights: “to zion”, “doo wop (that thing)”, “every ghetto, every city”.

Confident and stylish record. Not too my taste but can see it’s appeal.

I remember when this was released it was such a phenomena, it won several awards and received numerous accolades and something like 10 Grammy nominations in 1998 (best album of the 90's?), so I assumed it was pretty amazing. I finally listened to the whole album and personally I think it's overrated and a bit underwhelming. Sure, she has a great voice and some of the songs are fine, but I don't get the hype and found nothing spectacular or essential that made me love it. The weird skits/dialogue makes it seem more self-important than it is and I get it's a "concept" album, but sorry it lost me and was middle of the road, at best.

I listened to this not long ago and thought it was exceptional. On second listen, it isn’t sadly. It’s just ok, and nothing more.

I think I listened to this one before. Not really my genre of choice but it was not bad.

Not my kind of music so I was not excited about listening to it. I just wanted to get through it .. but pretty much every songs music just pulled me to it. The vocals are OK mostly to me but the experience of the in between parts and the music makes this a really good album to me. I saved a lot of songs. Excellent drum and base.

Good for the genre

Funky, loved the theme.

The hype when it came out was ridiculous, listening to it now… it’s good… just feels kinda repetitive a bit

Lauryn Hill has the goods, for sure. I’m not sure the narrative of the concept lands all the way through, but it’s a solid effort.

Good

A good sound, but not really for me. Some outstanding tracks, though.

Cat: ohhhhhhh boy oh boy oh boy grew up with this one!! I love the harmonies and her rapping. Her voice is outstanding. Love her positive messages, too. A lot of her music sounds like a throwback to Motown. To Zion is super powerful. Never noticed how religious the lyrics are at times. Her and Mary J going back and forth is epic lol. Just fun and soulful and sometimes upbeat. I love how much you liked this! AJ: She’s just such an artist. Singing voice, rap voice, poet, bet she paints. The interludes with the kids talking about love are great. Doo Wop is such a bop. I said what I said. The Score (Fugees) was more prominent in my life, but she’s clearly a fucking force. Found it interesting that one of the songs I liked the most was Every Ghetto Every City. A title on paper that I didn’t expect to relate to, but the painting of her childhood/neighborhood really made me think of mine. Cool. Real cool.

Not my vibe, but clearly it's a good album. No comment

The songs are good, but they run on too long. In general the album is a tad too long fir me. Also some tracks do this annoying thing where the song is over but there is still a minute left.

Dit album ligt mij gewoon niet. Lauren Hill is niks voor mij, vond het lastig om erdoorheen te komen. 2 goeie nummers maar verder vond ik het niks. Toch nog ster extra voor culturele relevantie

нормик, но с одного дня не ухватило (и не было тяги потратить ещё пару дней)

WAZA WAZA WAZA FAMÍLIA

My sister, and many others, love love this album. I think it is alright.

looking forward to this album. I liked it but didn't think id wanna go back to it much besides the nostalgia factor.

Good stuff but you know the rules, Lauryn Hill..too long

Nice voice good beats good grooves good samples. A good album! Any time Mary J Blige shows up my ears hurt. Do not like that artist!

I liked it, felt like I could appreciate it even if it wasn’t always my jam.

Nothing bad to say. Not my jam. Can recognize the talent though.

Some good songs... It's veeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrry long though. Could be 30 mins shorter.

To Zion is a nice song.

Not really my kind of music.

Some quality, but also very woolly in places.

not re-listening, already heard. one-note production and instrumentation, but Ms Hill’s vocals and flow is still unmatched, rarely stumbling and making the experience all the more sweeter. all in all - could have used remastering, but is very good as it is.

A very talented rapper, technically proficient and with a great flow, her songs when rapping have great energy and engagement. However, while she can sing as well, those more R&B songs felt a bit boring and lifeless. Overall, perfect production but all around only 3 stars.

Not bad but just too long and way too similar sounding songs to be anything better than 3 stars

Great album, but I found the production and composition to be a little repetitive by the end of the LP.

Since its release I’ve wanted to like this album more than I actually do, but it’s no Fugees “The Score” 3/5: Good, not great.

It's a classic for good reason

Was absolutely inescapable when it was relevant I never got the hype

I like the first songs only.

Disappointed. Was expecting more from this. Her voice is amazing, but the songs were just blah. Loved the Fugees, and agin her voice is so good I just wasn’t impressed with this. Solid 2.5 to 3 here

I bet this was on a lot of high school girls cd players, but it's not on my cd player

Great production and a couple of stand out tracks - but 50% meh - Didn't really hold my attention for the whole album I'm afrraid

Stabiles Album.

Classic. Track 3 & 4 are the most memorable.

Could not connect with it, not as good as I thought it was going to be. I appreciate the artistry

Inte min genre, men välgjort och medryckande.

I’ve never been much for this style music, but it was nostalgic. It’s one I don’t mind, but I wouldn’t seek it out.

Very much a product of its time, but it aged well. I like most of the songs. The skits could have been left out, I feel like the message was clear without them explaining.

I thought this one would be a little more definitively four star than it is, but it dtill earns it. Most of the songs are high quality and enjoyable, I'd just say some of them go on a little longer than needed. I do understand why the big songs from this album like Ex-Factor are the big songs, though. The skits at the end of some of the songs are cute and don't hurt the songs they are attached to like I was led to believe. Just a more solid than average 90s R&B. This should be the album getting the praise for this genre, not crazysexycool.

Einige gute Songs (e.g. Lost Ones) aber insgesamt eher unspektakulär.

🤷🏼‍♂️

An okay album for me, but apart from Doo Wop, nothing really sparked my enthusiasm.

Given the success and accolades associated with this album, it's a shame that she ultimately felt that "...scores of tentacled obstructionists, politics, repressing agendas, unrealistic expectations and saboteurs everywhere..."* kept her from doing a follow up. *eonline.com, 1/6/21

Nice. Classic. Do wop that thing.

Feels like something that would be played as part of a Chappelle Show episode. There’s great beat, message, and voice. Not an album I’d have actively sought out, it’s a spirited album that was a decent listen for a work day afternoon. Wild to think nothing has followed since this release, making this album really an instance of lightning in a bottle.

I am aware that this album is a seminal work and am happy this project has once again given me a record I know I should have listened long before now. Better late than never. Overall this work is much prettier than I was anticipating. To Zion is powerful and beautiful as is Final Hour. I'm not religious but I can certainly appreciate the heartfelt sincerity. I also particularly liked Doo Wop and Everything is Everything. There's a lot here, I don't love it all, but I do think it is a substantial achievement and belongs on this list. I'm glad to have heard it and have asked Spotify to put some of the songs into rotation for me.

It lost me half way through tbh

I love the vibes

This means nothing to me. Reading Wikipedia, you'd think she was the female Messiah, but the most memorable moment on the album is the blistering guitar break on Ex-factor, which is credited to Johari Newton but which sounds to me by like Carlos Santana (which, incidentally otherwise owes a lot to Stevie Wonders Past time Paradise). I think it's miscredited, because the next track (To Zion) is credited to Santana but doesn't sound anything like him.

Ok, so beautiful voice, and some truly top tier rapping. Leaps and bounds better than most rappers. But each song felt dragged out a minute too long. And too many skits. But man her voice is pure.

Before this, the only song I ever knew by Lauryn Hill was Doo Wop (That Thing). Listening to her music, there is strong influence from genres such as R&B, Reggae, and Rap. The late 90s/early 00s hip hop beats are a great throwback. In Lauryn's high notes, I can hear Mariah Carey, and in her song structure/delivery I can hear Missy Elliot. Hip Hop/R&B isn't necessarily my favourite, however, I can definately understand and appreciate why this was such an influential album to so many. Favourite songs: Everything is Everything, Doo Wop (That Thing), "Every Ghetto, Every City", To Zion, Forgive Them Father Least favourite songs: When it Hurts So Bad, Nothing Even Matters, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 3/5

i can see how this was influential because i’ve heard so many of these songs in other ones before. she has an interesting voice and i thought this was an interesting album. i didn’t love the talk parts of it but occasionally they were alright.

Straight up: I've never been able to fully connect with this. I don't dislike it at all - but maybe it's *too* smooth at points? I don't know - everything here sounds amazing, it's soulful and melodic, but at the same time is - for me - missing *something* that gives me chills. But...I do love the theme/concept aspect of the album. Teacher & students discussions at the tail of many of the tracks, it does give it a certain cohesiveness and after going through it as an entire unit....that's the attraction. It's a vibe album; a definite feeling that listening to a track or two at a time doesn't nearly give the same fulfilling aspect as the full album. "Ex-Factor" [love that lead guitar near the end], "Doo Wop" and "Every Ghetto, Every City" are favourites. Yeah in the end it's not going to be a favourite but it's an impressive piece of work that you have to give the time to. 7/10 3 stars.

I didn’t realize it but I do think I know ex-factor. I normally don’t like speaking/breaks in music, but I actually really like the classroom love talk thing that’s going on in the intro and the other songs. I just gave the intro 2 stars cause it’s not really a song to me. The songs in the middle started to all sound kind of the same to me. Overall I like this album, but a lot of the individual tracks kind of fell flat to me.. I also recognize can’t take my eyes off of you.

It's a very long album with some nice patches. I like how she ties it all together with a nostalgic school theme. There are some good tracks, that thing for example and she's a very good singer. Having said that, it went on a bit as an album and had plenty of what seems like filler. I would probs listen to parts again but not as a complete unit. I also think that, to some degree, the album was created without me in mind. I think Lauryn would more than tolerate my mild criticism.

Buen bajo la ptm, buenas armonias vocales y lead vocal

3.5

6.5/10 Highlights: Doo Wop That Thing, Final Hour, Nothing Even Matters all of the school skits, multiple samples also used by Wu-Tang (can it all be so simple, something in “I Used to Love Him”)

Overall, a good album. It’s not my usual style of music but it was quite enjoyable. My favorite song would have to be ‘Lost Ones’. Good album. Didn’t manage to add any to my playlist though. Not sure why it’s not very popular. It’s definitely underrated.

The album was pretty good. The album as a whole was a little long. This is due to some songs being entirely too long themselves, the need to end the song earlier and useless skits. I am not sure I would listen to the entire album again but there are some songs that are worth a revisit. It is better than a 3 but not really a 4. I will round down.

Hip-hop bueno, disco muy largo, sólo reconocí Doo Wop (That Thing). 3.5 que baja a 3 porque no me gusta el género.

That girl can sing, can sing, can si-i-i-i-ng.

consider me unschooled

Her version of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of yYou” is one of my favorites, and has been in my playlist for many years. I also like the classroom sound effects on the album.

It was ok

Solid, but the production hasn't agreed the best

No

Good album. The 1st half had a lot of great tracks. The second half does not. Which keeps it from being a classic album to me.

Grew up surrounded by this album.

Her rapping is very good. But I HATE all the talking between songs. It ruins it for me. Without the dialogue it would be great.

Cool

Rólegt, einfalt og næs. Engin flugeldasýning imho

There's no denying that Lauryn's pretty magical but this isn't something I'm adding a future playlist. The album has a nice flow and the classroom bits add to the atmosphere. Fave: To Zion

Listened to on 5/10/22 3/5 Favorite song: To Zion, The Miseducation of Ms Lauryn Hill This album was so soulful and the lyrics were beautiful - great music that was easy to throw on and listen to

Better than I expected. 3.5/5

i understand it's good, but it's not my thing

Was expecting more but still good.

Fun, lighthearded sound. Was not expecting to like, but was pretty good fun. C+

Not really my kind of thing but I liked it more than I was expecting. Definitely ran a bit long though.

I dislike the Fugees so I wasn't expecting to enjoy this album as much as I did when I picked a tape of it (yes a cassette) at a discount music store selling it as part of a 5 for $20 deal. I do love her voice, the production and some of the songs are amazing. It is a bit all over the place and a few of the not quite cover versions border on over indulgence. First time I have listened to this in ages and can hear the influence it has had and understand that it was ground breaking at the time. I still enjoy it just not as much as I used to.

Enjoyable 3*

This album is fine. Lauryn Hill is clearly an incredible talent but there were only a couple of songs I really liked on the album.

I hadn't heard this for years. Vastly overrated at the time but it still sounds pretty good I think. The good bits are brilliant

Beyond the hit songs I didn't enjoy this as an album.

Not bad

It’s ok, although she’s not got that much interesting to say at least she can sing even though it gets s bit warberly towards the end.

The Talking/ conversations inbetween songs was distracting and long. Some good songs, a bit "preachy" for me.

I wasn't really sure I even wanted to listen to this as I don't really like much hip-hop. Ended up skipping through quite a few songs but some of the soul/R&B sounding cuts were enjoyable.

Love the oldschool vibe and I can tell this album inspired a lot of people since it's still being used in this day and age.

I get why this is good, but it’s not for me.

Smooth album all the way through. Brings me back to 98 when it seemed like every car that went by had this album playing. This has stood the test of time and would still be a chart topper today.

Cava, beetje overrated wel.