Disco de Cyndi Lauper: “The Body Acoustic”

Cyndi Lauper weaves magic with her new release, "The Body Acoustic," a collection of her greatest hits, notable non-singles and two new compositions recorded with sparse instrumentation. Like her superb 2003 standards collection, "At Last," her valentine to her native New York, one could say that Lauper is simply cashing in on another recent trend; this time of releasing acoustic reinterpretations of an artist's own former catalogue. However, the bulk of her songwriting is ideal for an intimate setting, which makes "The Body Acoustic" not only a solid but a justified release; not a mere pause before releasing a complete disc of original material.

Lauper kicks off the disc with the assistance of Taking Back Sunday's Adam Lazarra, one of many special guests she enlisted for inclusion on this project. Singing her 1984 hit "Money Changes Everything," Lauper nearly replicates the electricity she exudes when performing the song in concert. With a sprawling vocal range that is equal parts gritty and graceful, it is hard for the majority of her guests to keep up with her at all, making their inclusion essentially inconsequential. The only exceptions are Sarah McLachlan, who provides perfect compliment to "Water's Edge" and 1984's #1 smash "Time After Time," and Shaggy, who helps Lauper turn "All Through the Night" into a delightfully reggae-infused affair.

"Sisters of Avalon" is a funky, rousing excursion. Though at once they seem ideal to lend their talents to the track, Ani Difranco and Vivian Green simply fall into the background on a song that fits nicely in the scheme of the disc but adds nothing original to the original 1997 version. Green's presence is felt more strongly, however, on "I'll Be Your River," one of the two new tracks. A song of an endless, unselfish love, Lauper knocks this one straight out of the ballpark. Even sharper, however, is the second new selection, "Above the Clouds." A warm-bath ballad featuring Jeff Beck on lead guitar, the song is drenched in utter beauty and gorgeous lyrics that Lauper wraps her voice around with warmth and style.

"Stand tall/And glide/When you're all alone in the crowd/Don't fall/Don't hide/When you walk above the clouds/When you walk above the clouds."

This collection would be incomplete without "True Colors," her huge 1986 hit she recorded in honor of her friend Gregory who passed away from AIDS. It is no surprise that the song has become so important to the homosexual community, for it waxes so pointedly of unconditional empathy and acceptance, no matter who or what one may be.

"I see your true colors shining through/I see your true colors/And that's why I love you/So don't be afraid to let them show/Your true colors/Are beautiful like a rainbow."

Also included are the invigorating "Shine," "Fearless," an intense moody take on 1984's infamous "She Bop" and "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," which remains just as festive as ever.

Although it is a disappointment that "Hat Full of Stars," Lauper's true masterpiece, is not represented on this collection, "The Body Acoustic" is everything a fine album should be. Loyal fans and casual listeners alike will all find something to love.

The DualDisc features 4 live performances, a look behind-the-scenes and the album in enhanced stereo.

Cyndi Lauper is an amazing triple threat peformer. She's got a power-house voice and range that I would call the white equal to Patti Labelle, who yes is friends with Lauper. She has written and performed some of the most endearing songs of the twenthieth century - and she has won two Emmy awards for her acting ability.

On this disc, we find Ms. Lauper revisiting her favorite songs from her vast catalog as well as sharing new material. Her ability as an interpreter is amazing. As a fan, I never thought I would like new versions of her older stuff - but this is really incredible. She was in complete control and you could even say this is how they are supposed to sound. Every track is genius.

Her voice and writing abilities are still in top notch shape. I know for a fact that most fans, myself included want a brand new album with all new material. However, it was wise of Cyndi to do this album first. To go from At Last back to regular Cyndi would be a huge jump. This album bridges the gap and reintroduces her catalog to people who would have otherwise forgotten. Smart Move.

Her next album, which I'm sure will be all new material should be a smash. Buy this album - you won't regret it!

Cyndi has remastered her timeless classics and gave them a whole new feeling. She gave All Through The Night a regge feel with the help of guest singer Shaggy. She took the Japanese teen rock group Puffy Ami Yumi and made her classic Girls Just Wanna Have Fun seem more playful. I could hear the musicians enjoy this song. Time After Time and She Bop had a calming tone. There is also a "back porch" feel when one listens to Money Changes Everything and Shine. I highly recommend purchasing this cd.

What would you expect from a collection of old pop gems recorded again after several years, by using a defferent band base and instrumentation?

So that's it. Except for the two new songs and for the 'new' sound on "She Bop" and the 'ska-ish' version of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", there's not really much worth stuff.

Good for fans - newcomers would prefer a Greatest Hits or the Essential Collection...

Just good enough.

3.5 *

I grew up in the 1980s when pop music was at its most interesting peak. Cyndi Lauper was and still is one of my favorite artists from that era. While Madonna continues to churn out and sell more (awful) albums, Cyndi has kept putting out more interesting albums. I will say I was not crazy about her last cd of jazz standards she covered. Thankfully Cyndi makes up for that awful cd with THE BODY ACOUSTIC.

THE BODY ACOUSTIC is another cd of cover songs but this time the songs are all Cyndi Lauper's, going back to the 1980s when she was enormously popular. Not only does Cyndi re-invent her own songs as acoustic tracks but she also collaborates with a diverse range of artists like the Japanese power pop duo Puffy AmiYumi, Ani Difranco, Sarah McLachlan, Shaggy, and Vivian Green. The results is immensely satisfying for me. I didn't think that Cyndi's duet with Shaggy "All Through the Night" wouldn't work but much to my surprise, the duet works. This new version is as good as the original version. I personally loved the latest version of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" with Puffy AmiYumi. I guess as Puffy AmiYumi fan, I am biased. I definitely like this version better than the last updated version which I thought stunk to high heavens. Who would have imagined that "She Bop" would sound good acoustically but it did. I especially loved the acoustic version of "True Colors". This version gave the goose bumps the first time I heard it.

I loved every song on the cd. Cyndi sounds wonderful as ever. I always felt she had a superior voice than Madonna. The songs still sounds fresh and never dated despite the obvious tweaking. The energy and the fun never left the songs. I'm glad I picked up this cd when I had the opportunity to get it.