The first solo album by the Fugees' most distinctive voice quickly wipes away the pretensions of so many current hip-hoppers' discs. It does so by both engaging their widescreen ethos--"To Zion," with its martial drums and gospel choir, is as epic a production as has been heard in 1998's pop music--and speaking the plain truth. Miseducation focuses equally on Lauryn Hill's life (especially the birth of her child) and social concerns about the present and future. Its often quiet surface, if anything, lends intensity. --Rickey Wright
