Wyclef Jean just wants to prove to the world how “ecleftic” he can be. Except he doesn’t have to convince anyone anymore.

In “Masquerade,” ‘Clef’s third solo album, the Haitian-born rapper digs ever deeper into his old-school music collection, seemingly searching for the strangest collaboration ever. And he finds it, with an updated version of Tom Jones’ “What’s New, Pussycat?” However, ‘Clef’s version of the Jones classic doesn’t induce any panty-throwing – just cringing.

‘Clef tries too hard to prove his street credibility and threatens to ruin his eclectic vibe by enlisting gritty rappers M.O.P. for the title track. On “Masquerade,” ‘Clef calls out rappers who try to keep it gangsta while posing on TRL: “Welcome to the real world/ where a spade is a spade/ I’m gonna call it like I see it/ you’re livin’ in a masquerade.”

And because it wouldn’t be a Wyclef album without a romantic hip-hop ballad, ‘Clef brings in his prot‚g‚, Claudette Ortiz of R&B trio City High, for “Two Wrongs.” Ortiz’s soaring soprano voice rescues the track from mediocrity by providing a contrast to ‘Clef’s plaintive vocals. Unfortunately, if Wyclef’s still looking for a duet replacement for Lauryn Hill, he’s not going to find her in Ortiz.

Overall, ‘Clef’s third album seems to show that the more he tries to identify himself through his music, the more confused and scattered his vision becomes. The only person ‘Clef’s fooling with this mediocre “Masquerade” is himself.

– Megan Hinds