“What time did she show up?” “What did she look like?” “How did she sound?” “Did she seem ‘okay?’” While not the standard set of questions for those seeking a concert recap, Ms. Lauryn Hill’s prior visit to The Pageant peaked the curiosity of fans and music lovers. Of those wondering if she would leave fans wandering the concert venue for hours – only to deliver a set that could be conservatively described as erratic and less than well received by fans who followed her from her days with the Fugees to the release of her seminal solo debut “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”
Although she once again kept the audience guessing with drastic rearrangements of her classic hip-hop and R&B hits, those who rolled the dice and took a chance on her second visit found it to be worth the risk.
Last night audiences found her show giving a heavy handed tribute to her children’s paternal grandfather, music legend Bob Marley.
And while she didn’t perform the particular selection, the title for his iconic classic “Redemption Song” summarizes Hill’s latest visit to St. Louis.
She dresses to her own drum these days. Yet somehow, in a pair of kick pleat slacks and suede stiletto boots topped off with a mesh shirt, mix matched blazer and blinged out bingo night ball cap one could still say that she looked better than she has in years.
Although her singing voice wasn’t necessarily in mint condition, she sounded good too. And her classic, pristine rhyme flow served as a reminder of how she landed at the top of the music scene at the turn of the millennium.
Manically paced, fans could hardly absorb or recognize the selections as she sprinted from one song to the next with the recurring theme of heavy bass licks, echoing guitar riffs and three count beat that’s standard for island music.
She kicked things off with a snippet of Marley’s “Soul Rebel,” before jumping into a Caribbean remix “Killing Me Softly” abbreviation.
By evening’s end she would perform nearly as many Marley songs as she did Fugees numbers. Nearly half a dozen selections from his classic catalog would make their way into her set. Along with her “Soul Rebel” intro, she would put her own spin on “Jammin’,” “Wait in vain,” and “Could You Be Loved” and “Turn Your Lights Down” – her cover/duet of the mid-tempo ballad became a hit in its own right at the height of her popularity.
She reached for certain notes, but her distinctive delivery on the rap side of her performance coin more than compensated for her lack of range.
“Lost Ones,” “Ready or Not” and “How Many Mics” were among the standouts but her effortless
She dipped in and out of her “Unplugged” album with a few selections like “Mr. Intentional,” and “Like Water” – which made for the most recognizable selections within her set. But reverted back to her Marley homage with “Jammin” and blended in Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster.”
She was met with a standing ovation when she revisited “Killing Me Softly” for a more traditional take on the Fugees spin of the Roberta Flack classic and maintained the audience’s attention through her “Doo Wop (That Thing)” finale.
As she bid fans farewell, there was a renewed sense of appreciation and a reminder of Hill’s rightful place in musical history.
