Three star

THE former Fugee manages to masterfully walk the tightrope between nondescript and varied in his latest offering.

His production talent is unquestioned but as an artist he is much like his former bandmates - what wins out? Lauren Hill's gorgeous silky vocals or that annoying yeah, yeah, word, word crap in the background?

Anyone the mainstream side of rap will be unsure whether they should enjoy Mr Jean but his singles releases since going solo have been sublime.

He has been criticised for throwing too much rap into Masquerade and after one listening it's easy to dismiss as forgettable but is redeemed by a tremendous variety - who would read the track listing and not be sucked in by the promise of Wyclef's cover of Franki Valli's Oh What A Night?

Late December back in '93 you might think it's appalling but at least it offers a new interpretation.

As he switches styles he draws everything into his wide ranging subject matter, from Casablanca to Concorde and even compares himself to Hendrix at Woodstock in one typically self-aggrandizing moment.

Five stars for effort, at least the guy is not resting on his laurels. Try it, you might like it!

MH