Wyclef Jean has spent the 10 years since the original "Carnival" in projects of scattered ambition and success, some that hit ("Hips Don't Lie") and some that didn't (anyone remember his reworking of "The Gambler" with Kenny Rogers?). But hip-hop loves its Roman numerals, and it was probably only a matter of time before he revisited the concept. "The Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant" isn't nearly as fresh as its older cousin, mostly because it only seems partly interested in its timely concept, but it's a stronger-than-usual collection that succeeds more when Clef sits back ("Heaven's in New York" and the Norah Jones-assisted "Any Other Day") than when he works hard at showing off his sprawling pedigree (the needlessly overdone "Hollywood Meets Bollywood" and the too long "Touch Your Button Carnival Jam"). Things feel much weightier when Paul Simon shows up for a moving cameo on "Fast Car," proving that on the whole, "Carnival II" sounds louder when it's quieter. —Jeff Vrabel