By Gail Reynolds, Rock At Night Tampa Correspondent
Review: Cyndi Lauper’s Detour album
Cyndi Lauper has earned popularity and respect over the decades because of her ability to evolve and surprise while retaining her artistic integrity. Her latest CD, Detour, is aptly named because of its unexpected departure from the genres we associate with her. However, in recent interviews Lauper notes that country and western music was an integral part of her musical upbringing.
The dozen songs she chose well represent the roots and spectrum of C&W over the 40s, 50s and 60s. Each is a standout because of the backup of top notch musicians and guests artists including Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, and Alison Krauss.
Several selections are toe-tapping upbeat gems. Homage is paid to Patsy Montana in “I Want To Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” featuring Jewel’s killer yodeling. Lauper and Vince Gill adopt the of Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty in the dialogue duet “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly” including the playfully bashing banter of the song’s original icons.
The classics of heartache, quintessential country, are also well represented. All selections showcase Cyndi Lauper’s astounding vocal range. Detour reinforces her well-deserved acclaim and place in modern music history.
Track Listing
1. “Funnel Of Love”
2. “Detour” – Featuring Emmylou Harris
3. “Misty Blue”
4. “Walkin’ After Midnight”
5. “Heartaches By The Number”
6. “The End Of The World”
7. “Night Life” – Featuring Willie Nelson
8. “Begging To You”
9. “You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly” – Featuring Vince Gill
10. “I Fall To Pieces”
11. “I Want To Be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart” – Featuring Jewel
12. “Hard Candy Christmas” – Featuring Alison Krauss
Videos
“Funnel of Love” on CBS Saturday Sessions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqQ5nhegVUQ
You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly
I love music and I love to write, so Rock at Night is a perfect forum for me.I appreciate all genres from classical to country and am astounded by the number of extraordinarily talented but under-recognizedmusical artists. So my articles often feature such “well known unknown” musicians and composers.
Before email, I would include a record review along with my holiday greetings as an alternative to annual reports of personal achievements and acquisitions. Among these, I wrote of Leonard Cohen’s I’m Your Man in 1988 and Bruce Cockburn’s Nothing But A Burning Light in 1991, urging my friends and family to listen to these masterpieces.
Now I can continue to express my enthusiasm for various musical artists to a wider audience.
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