The Body Acoustic – Cyndi Lauper | CD review

(Sony&BMG) 4 stars

Ho-hum … or so I thought.

Reworking old hits with the help of guest artists may have become a familiar, safe option for performers past their prime, but Cyndi Lauper succeeds in imparting a fresh spin to her music with spare, exhilarating arrangements, strong on acoustic guitars, organ, dulcimer and harmonium.

The eclectic guest roster includes Sarah McLachlan, Ani DiFranco, Jeff Beck (whose spacy guitar elevates `Above the Clouds’) and reggae/R&B star Shaggy (in a bouncy, country-into-reggae rendition of Lauper’s classic `All Though The Night’).

There’s no filler material on this disc, but among standouts are the opening, countrified, upbeat `Money Changes Everything’ with Adam Lazzara, plus solo takes on `True Colours’ and `Fearless’ (the latter underpinned by jazzman Mark Egan’s haunting bass).

My favourite is the soulful, shimmering, stripped-back duet with McLachlan on the pop standard `Time After Time’, where Lauper demonstrates her pre-eminence as an interpretive balladeer.

– Mike Daly

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