Calling upon influences as widely varied as Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, and a host of Caribbean musicians, Lauryn Hill's debut magnum opus, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill may be the best album produced in this decade. Passionate, political, intellectual, and absolutely brilliant musically, the sixteen tracks of this album show off Hill's skills as a writer, arranger, and producer.

Normally almost any album will have some points where you think, "bah, fast forward," or "this song isn't up to snuff." Not so here. Even the weakest moments on this album -- such as preachiness on "Superstar," a slightly dragging pace on "Ex-Factor" or "When It Hurts So Bad," -- will suddenly strike you with a turn of phrase, a chord change, a note sung with unfettered passion that makes you drop your hand from that button and listen like your mama singing you to sleep.

When the album truly soars -- during the achingly beautiful remake of "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You," in the Stevie Wonder-esque "Every Ghetto, Every City," the brokenhearted duet with Mary J. Blige on "I Used To Love Him," or the sweeping "Nothing Even Matters" with D'Angelo -- it can literally spellbind, caught up in the wonder of possibly one of the most charismatic and talented performers of our time.

This album is a must have for any true music aficionado and a great buy for even a casual listener. Lauryn Hill, still in her early twenties, has positioned herself to be a major musical force for the next millennium.