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WEDNESDAY

God bless Haitian prince of hyphens Wyclef Jean: The singer-songwriter-guitarist-producer tries so damn hard to be hospitable with his hiphop-reggae-funk-pop goulash that he often makes a mess trying to satisfy everyone. He’s certainly had his moments mixing it up: “We Trying to Stay Alive,” from debut disc The Carnival, blends a sampled Saturday Night Fever strut with badass braggadocio and proves that fellow Fugees Lauryn and Pras were holding Clef back. But on follow-up The Ecleftic, he went too far too often, most notably on “Kenny Rogers-Pharoahe Monch Dub Plate,” in which the bearded, bloated Gambler himself throws down East Coast-style. In concert, Clef switches gears even faster, wailing like Hendrix one minute, moaning like Marley the next—then hitting the turntables to scratch out something special. He may suffer from musical ADD, but he sure works his fingers/mouth/ass off trying to make us move. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $35. (202) 393-0930. (Sean Daly)