Cyndi Lauper Album: “Hat Full of Stars”

to the tug of your emotions when you let this amazing collection play over and over again, you'll not regret that you took the time to hear this CD from the timeless Cyndi Lauper.

Looking for something different this spring, I chanced on the collection of old musical standards that Cyndi Lauper released, entitled, "At Last". Suddenly, and quite amazingly, I realized that the perky little clown of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was really not who Cyndi was all along. She was just never marketed until the last few years as an innovator, both as a songstress and a songwriter, and someone who insures that the musicians and production values are first rate. After wearing out "At Last", I looked for something she'd done that I missed in the past, and found an extensive collection of vibrant music. "At Last" made me sit up and take notice, but the CD she released in 1993, that was doomed to fail, "A Hatful of Stars", was provocative in that Cyndi had a hand in writing every song.

And so it goes, the CD's you love the most may be those that you stumble across, quite by accident - collections that work for you, that may have not sold well, "secrets" kept by only the faithful few that consistently follow an artist throughout their career. And that is what "A Hatful of Stars", is for me - a thematic work that showed us that the wistful, vibrant and spectacular voice Cyndi displayed on her early "serious" work, "Time After Time", was no accident.

In "Hatful of Stars", Cyndi explores a variety of ballads and subtle hip-hop rhythms and takes on a number of issues in her writing that come straight from the heart of a serious poet and musician. Certainly, the most memorable song, is, as the many reviews here will prove, the one she penned with Mary Chapin Carpenter - a sad song dealing with the consequences of abortion..."Sally's Pigeons". This may be one of the most revealing songs written by a woman of the pain and change that haunt a life after the act.

Equally important to me on the CD are the cuts "Who Let In the Rain"...the only commercial success on the CD, and one of those tunes that runs and runs through your head and never seems to let go. "Product of Misery", "Broken Glass", "A Hatful of Stars" and the global-themed "A Part Hate" add dimension to the plaintiveness of this CD, and the collection works as a series of themes, with no songs that contrast or glare. As with her efforts in this new century, Cyndi has surrounded herself with audio genius and musicians that are as superb as her own efforts.

Truly a beautiful CD that hasn't been, and won't be heard by as many people as it deserves to be, this is a timeless collection that make me glad I rediscovered this amazing woman.

The first thing that occurred to me when I heard this album 2 years ago is how incredibly underrated Cyndi Lauper is as an artist. The second thing that struck me was the deeply troubled life she had growing up. Cyndi wrote or co-wrote every song on this album. "Lies" recalls the physical and sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepfather. "Sally's Pigeon's" is about the loss of a childhood friend by an abortion that went terribly wrong. "Broken Glass" is about wife abuse which Cyndi witnessed in her own home during her mother's second marriage. "Someone Like Me" reveals to us her pain at feeling out of step with the rest of the world. On "A Part Hate" she gives us her disturbing view of racism at its height. A turbulent life story, but one that had to be told, if only to put a few of the naysayers in their place. The lyrics, production and especially the singing on HFOS are first-rate, making for one of the most impressive albums by any artist past or present. This is the record that made me stand up and really take notice at how brilliant a songwriter and gifted vocalist Cyndi Lauper is. Although this album won over many of the music critics, it didn't get the commercial success it deserved. Even if you're not a die hard Cyndi Lauper fan, I highly recommend it.

Most people are only familiar with Cyndi's more poppy, fun 80s music [ie "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" or the melodramatic "Time After Time"]. I would highly recommend that people who never gave Miss Lauper a chance before give this album a listen.

Her voice is much more mature here, while it still has traces of Cyndi's trademark kewpie-doll quality. The lyrics here aren't about partying and having fun; they are about serious matters many people can relate to.

I couldn't believe it when I first heard this album, since I had this notion that Cyndi never sang about serious topics. There are songs about domestic violence ["Broken Glass"], deceitful relationships ["Lies"], and the death of childhood friends ["Sally's Pigeons"]. There are some empowering songs as well, but mostly, I love this album because it really shows Cyndi baring her soul. It's depressing, but beautifully so.

This is the album that Cyndi truly became an artist. After the mess that was "A Night To Remember," she was no longer concerned about having that predictable, overly sentimental "hit song" and instead focused on writing and singing songs that appealed to her. This is not to say that her earlier work was without merit, but this was her most consistent album. There is no "filler" music here (ie. "Insecurious" or "Like A Cat"), each song DESERVES to be on that album. In fact, this is the first Cyndi album where I see a complete album, not a bunch of singles. It's brilliant and I hope one day, gets the critical and commercial attention it deserves. But if it doesn't I am sure Cyndi won't mind, because as any great artist knows, you have to satisfy yourself before worrying about what will appeal to the public.

This album has a tremendous emotional pull on me that I'll never be able to let go of.....but let me tell you, even before it acquired the significane it did, listening to this cd when I bought it I thought to myself 'what is the world thinking?? How can Cyndi be so overlooked?'. This album unveils Cyndi as an artiste who is confident in her song-writing but not afraid to send a message through her songs. That's What I Think is as euphoric as Who Let In The Rain is tragic in its lost love. Broken Glass addresses domestic abuse, while Sally's Pigeons tenderly paints a picture of an abortion gone wrong..visuall evocative and tenerdly sung, it's a masterpiece. The jewel in this album's crown is the title track. I can't put the sing into words. It's about remembering a lost part of your past, and reclaiming its memory and holding onto it. Tender, sweet and chilling, it still makes me emotional. This song alone is worth buying the cd for and a song which will stay with me til the day I die. It's Cyndi's masterpiece and more of the world should be given the privilege of hearing it. Astounding to say the very least.