Leede Arena will play host this Sunday night to Wyclef Jean, member of the hip-hop/rap trio the Fugees, in a free concert sponsored by the Programming Board.
The Fugees' multi-platinum album, "The Score" attracted many listeners because of its wide and diverse repoitoire. Wyclef's solo debut "The Carnival" proves to be a brilliant album as well because it strives to mimic that formula.
The tracks on the album are eclectic, a product of Wyclef's diverse backgrounds and musical experience and feature some of the brightest lights in the musical spectrum including the Neville Brothers and Fugees' all-star Lauryn Hill.
The first song to be released on the album,"We Trying to Stay Alive," is an upbeat remake of the Bee Gee's classic 1970s disco anthem, "Stayin' Alive." "Guantanamera" is another memorable cover on the album. This mellow ditty with acoustic guitar riffs is as classic as the strains of Celia Cruz singing in the backgroud. Wyclef cleverly takes a cover and creatively re-interprets it, giving it a 1990s sound.
Cover tunes are only a small part of Wyclef's all-engrossing musical project. "The Carnival" features three tracks sung in Wyclef's native Creole, a language traditional to his homeland, Haiti. Wyclef also gives space on his album to explore non-traditional hip-hop pairings like a collaboration with the Neville Brothers.
Wyclef's arrival follows on the heels of a very hot album. "The Carnival" is presently on the Billboard's Top Ten R&B Album chart.
Wyclef is a fantastic musician -- a talented rapper, singer, guitar player, amongst many other things his musical vision, "The Carnival" gives listeners the sense of seeing a proverbial carnival where scenes and shows differ.
The concert will begin at 8:00 p.m. inside Leede, where approximately 1800 fans will be entertained first by Fatbag, a group from Boston who have in the past fronted for such groups as Jamiroquai.
Prior to the concert there will be a chicken wing fling on the Alumni Gym lawn at 6 p.m. While eating, Dartmouth's own Groove Merchant will provide musical entertainment.
The concert is free to Dartmouth College undergraduates with student identification, and costs $10 for graduate students and guests. Tickets will be given the day of the Leede Arena at the door.
