The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

iTunes Review

As if to prove there was more than one wildly imaginative performer/producer in the Fugees, Lauryn Hill launched a juggernaut with her first solo album. Completely rooted in current styles while retaining the wide edge of uniqueness that had marked The Score, the sound and outlook here proved irresistible to millions of buyers (and a good few GRAMMY voters, who named it Album of the Year). Like Erykah Badu, Hill updated old-school values for a hip young audience; she brought the scope of an old Tamla LP to cuts like "To Zion," with its thundering war drums and choir. Radio-ready singles weren't lacking, either: "Doo Wop (That Thing)" put a protect-yourself-girls message together with a tune and hooks that stuck to the brain instantly. Lots of great music appeared in 1998, but little caught hearts and ears the way Hill's did.