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| | Salon | Sharps and Flats |
 | | Their debut, "Blunted on Reality," and last year's smash, "The Score," pulled references easily from all of pop culture: Top 40, reggae, television, religion, film and, of course, hip-hop. |
 | | Topped by Jean's vocals and those of both iconic and less-well-known guests, "Carnival" is an ambitious, astonishing and at times frustrating synthesis of the diverse cultural matter that has molded Jean in his 20-odd years. |
 | | Though there are shining moments ("Til November," "To All the Girls," "Year of the Dragon"), mostly there's a lot of lackluster rhyming that doesn't stand up to the music. |
| www.salon.com /july97/sharps/sharps970725.html (479 words) |
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