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Wyclef Jean's 'Carnival' tour comes to the House of Blues

By Jeff Schwachter

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Jan. 17, 2008

It may have taken genrE-bending music man Wyclef Jean a decade to make the sequel to his 1997 solo album debut, Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring the Refugee All-Stars, but the ex-member of seminal '90s hip-hop act, the Fugees, had a few other things on his plate. Prior to releasing last December's Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant (Columbia), which includes the addictive hit "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)," as well as collaborations with Paul Simon, Mary J. Blige and T.I., Jean was responsible for pop singer Shakira's 2006 worldwide smash "Hips Don't Lie," had worked on numerous projects for other artists (Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Santana included), founded a charity organization with his homeland of Haiti in mind (www.yele.org), attempted to work out a Fugees reunion, had a daughter, lost his father unexpectedly and released four other albums under his name. Prior to Carnival Vol. II, Jean's last album was 2004's critically acclaimed Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101, which tapped into Jean's Caribbean roots. The new album finds Jean "inspired" by many of his experiences over the past few years, with songs touching on topics from immigration to raising a child. He's still ready to party though. And although he's embarking on a huge North American tour this month, which comes to Atlantic City's House of Blues this Saturday, Jean says he's still taking it light. "You know Clef don't rehearse! We did enough rehearsing when we were in school," Jean says. "Now we just go out and enjoy and have a good time."

Right before his tour launched this past Monday in Rhode Island, Jean answered some questions by phone from Las Vegas.

Are you excited to get on the road?

It's going to be fun. I've just been basically a studio geek for the last two or three years, so it should be cool.

Will there be a band with you?

Yeah, definitely. It's going to be the whole carnival coming to your city. Just expect that energy of live music from an organic place. Coming from where we came from, playing in the projects, in the park. When you translate that and put it on the stage, you get a whole other kind of energy.

Will you be doing songs from throughout your career? Fugees material? Stuff from Creole 101?

Let me tell you, man, it's the carnival, baby! All the Fugees fans come out, all the Wyclef fans come out, all the Creole 101 fans come out, all the Shakira fans come out. Everybody -- it's going to be one big festival. I can't run out of material.

Just like on your first Carnival record, there are elements of many types of music from around the world on the new album. Of the music you've discovered over the years, which has moved you the most?

The music that has moved me the most [was] when I've traveled to Africa and went to these drum festivals. Just experiencing the vibe. Like I remember being in Lagos. And that energy I felt when I went to Ethiopia. Just a chance to get out and be amongst nature. Listening to all of the rhythms was just incredible.

Are there any musicians in your native Haiti that you feel more people should hear?

Definitely. We have some of them on Carnival Vol. II. One is Djakout Mizik, which I think is an emerging band that people should definitely check out. They're on the album and will be jumping off and on the tour.

It's been 10 years since your first solo album, and also since Bob Dylan appeared in your video for "Gone Till November." Last year, you paid the favor back appearing in the video for the remix of his song "Most Likely You'll Go Your Way." What's your relationship with Dylan?

I'm a fan. And I think a lot of what I do - you know, people are always saying I'm half thug, half hippie. I can relate to Bob Dylan's music a lot because a lot of my music comes from an acoustic and a rebellious place.

Are you planning to vote in this year's U.S. presidential election?

I told everybody to just vote for me, man. It looks like it's up for grabs. On a serious note [though], I think that this is perhaps the most important election that our country will ever face. And I'm speaking [in terms of] health care; the economy, which, I mean everybody's home is in foreclosure; and for these kids, it's been really hard for these college kids to go to school lately. We really, really need somebody to come in and get us back to America. So, yeah, definitely I'm going to [vote].

The track "Selena" on the new album, how did you come up with the idea to do a tribute to her?

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