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Ms. Lauryn Hill Plays the House of Blues This Wednesday

By Jessica Mlinaric in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 13, 2014 4:00PM

Ready or not, Ms. Lauryn Hill hits the House of Blues (329 N Dearborn St.) on Wednesday, July 16 and tickets are still available. It’s hard to believe Hill’s Grammy Award winning solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, was released 16 years ago. Even more incredible, the R&B legend hasn’t released a follow-up in the subsequent years aside from 2002’s lukewarmly received live recording, MTV Unplugged 2.0.

In what could pass as a nostalgia set, word from Hill’s current tour and recent turn at Bonnarroo testifies that the 39-year-old still spits rapid-fire rhymes and elevates her audience with soulful vocals. If you’ve been craving the opportunity to hear L. Boogie deliver Fugee’s hits like “How Many Mics” or “Killing Me Softly” don’t miss this one, as the erratic artist has been known to spend years away from the stage. Ms. Hill may not respond to the clamor for a new studio album, but her trademark hip-hop, reggae, and neo-soul sound offers an urgency and affinity that still thrills.