Cyndi Lauper in Lakewood



So I feel like I've been enjoying so many older, more experienced artists right now. I've been digging the new Robbie Williams, the new Madonna, and I think Cyndi's new "Body Acoustic" is a spectacular album!

What originally pulled me in were the guest appearances. First-off, anything with Ani on it gets instant recognition... but with the likes of Sarah McLachlan and others (I'll forgive Shaggy), it was a must listen. The album turned out to be more about the timelessness of these songs than the guests who were on them.
(the sad part is that the track I like the least is "Sisters of Avalon" which is the track with Ani on it...)

My absolute favorite track is "Water's Edge":
For me this song represents how when someone is faced with falling in love, it can force them to balance feelings of desperation and hope. To be cheesy and revert back to the days of radio dedications, I wanna send this one out to D. :)

So anyway... Cyndi is coming to the Lakewood Civic Auditorium this Saturday, along with the likes of Sandra Bernhard and Jill Sobule. I haven't bought tickets, even though John & Bill are even coming up from Pittsburgh for it. It's been an issue of trying not to spend money, but the more I listen to this album, the more compelled I feel to see her in concert... maybe I'll try for getting a cheap ticket at the door...

Here is a writeup from Cleveland Scene:

She Bops
After 20 years, Cyndi Lauper's still having fun.
By Michael Gallucci
Published: Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Cyndi Lauper just wants to have fun. More than 20 years after her signature song, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," the singer still knows how to shake it up. Which explains the giddiness captured on her new CD, The Body Acoustic, a collection of Lauper's past hits -- stripped-down, rearranged, and loaded with guests.

"It was fun to see if all these songs could hold up," she says. "It was a party -- a really creative party and experience."

The Body Acoustic is both a career retrospective and a live record. But the set -- recorded onstage earlier this year -- also gives Lauper a chance to rework some of the best-loved songs in her catalog.

She invited her pals along to help out: Angel-loving singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan contributes warm vocals to the gentle "Time After Time," reggae loverman Shaggy gets funky on "All Through the Night," and the Japanese power-pop duo Puffy AmiYumi bounces around during "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."

"It was great to find them," says Lauper. "They really make a connection, and they tie up that American quilt that we made. The sound of our music is so different. People from all over the world came here, and it mutated and blended."

Lauper says The Body Acoustic evolved by chance when she and her band rehearsed some of her old songs. The tunes began to take on different shapes and textures as Lauper matched guest vocalists with familiar material, including Ani DiFranco on "Sisters of Avalon" and guitarist Jeff Beck on "Above the Clouds." "We sat around and jammed until it happened," she says.

Now on tour, Lauper's supporting The Body Acoustic by plugging back in. However, she promises a break in each show, when she and the band play old favorites on acoustic guitars. "You really get to see what kind of song you've got when you strip it down," she says. "But it changes each time. I figure, if I'm going to be doing a retrospective of my work, I might as well throw a party."

Posted: Thu - December 1, 2005 at 09:58 AM           |

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