It's a testament to the enduring power of Miseducation that, 20 years after it was released and despite at least a decade of what many describe as Hill’s problematic relationship with getting to the stage, she continues to get booked. It's also a reminder that when she's on her game, the singer, who is currently pregnant with her seventh child, can still blow away audiences and show that, if nothing else, she's still got an unmistakable star power.
That certainly seemed to be the case last night as Hill, accompanied by a fully fleshed out band, commanded the stage in Deep Ellum's Bomb Factory. Hill's voice hasn’t lost a beat, even after two decades, and she intuitively felt her way through every ad-lib and complicated run.
Early on, Hill opted to play the music from her under-appreciated 2002 acoustic-guitar-driven album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in a full-band setting, giving the songs a fresh perspective. "Everything Is Everything" received some banda inspiration, while the acoustic version of "To Zion" received reggae-dub styling and, most impressively, was the only song from that record to be slowed down or muted in any way compared to the recorded version.
Near the end of her set, Hill shifted gears to cover some reggae tunes and, perhaps most appropriately, rounded out the evening with a rendition of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good." It was a beautiful closing statement that suggested that wherever Hill has been post-Miseducation is (and maybe always was) neither her fault nor our concern.
