Lauryn Hill amazed fans and critics Thursday in her first concert since being released from prison for tax evasion.
The former Fugees star was originally supposed to do two shows, and after the first one got cancelled, people wondered if Hill would show up at all. But she showed up in a major way and gave what critics are calling an electrifying performance. As prorated by consequenceofsound.net:
“She whirled onto the stage amidst her band’s already coursing reggae riff—that somehow turned into an alternate reality version of “Killing Me Softly”—it was one of the more exciting moments I’ve felt in live music during 2013. Electric lady? There’s only one. Immediately, the air was hotter and thicker, her thunderclap vocals reminding us that while Kanye might have built his own temple, some believers still worship with whatever they’ve got.
“She channeled humility and grace and while she never explicitly mentioned her recent imprisonment, it hung in the air, palpable at moments. Like the increased ferocity during the off-the-cuff refrain (“working hard”) she added to “Everything is Everything” or the subtle rage (‘you might win some but you just lost one’) she out into on ‘Lost Ones’. The weight of what she’s dealt with this year was in the room, but it wasn’t in her performance.
Hill’s NYC performance marks another starting point for the sometime troubled artist. She’s been working on new music this year, she has a new recording contract and she’s aiming to put out a new album next year. Hill may never return to the prominence she had when released her diamond selling album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, but she doesn’t have to. The fans she has still truly love her, her NYC performance proves that, and hopefully next year will be a big year for her.
