Cyndi Lauper: Detour

Cyndi Lauper: Detour

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Cyndi Lauper
Detour
(Sire)

After looking back to her debut album with She’s So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary Celebration in 2014, Cyndi Lauper now winds back the clock even further. Detour finds the indomitable New Yorker tackling country classics she learnt by heart as a youngster listening to radio in Queens.

High profile collaborators drop by to add their own flourishes; Jewel yodels through I Want To Be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart, Willie Nelson sounds as wise and ancient as Egyptian parchment on Night Life and Vince Gill trades light-hearted insults with Lauper on You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly. Duets with Emmylou Harris (on title track Detour) and bluegrass queen Alison Krauss (Hard Candy Christmas) are even better, coupling lyrical sorrow with delectable harmonies, while the pedal steel of Misty Blue and the mournful beauty of The End Of The World sound like perfect soundtrack additions to David Lynch’s new Twin Peaks series.

One of Detour’s interesting details is the obvious deference Lauper holds for these country standards. Where Lauper’s accent has been known to divide listeners (more ‘Noo Yawk’ grate than Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch), she dials it down on Detour. Lauper injects Patsy Cline songs I Fall To Pieces and Walking After Midnight with suitable doses of longing, honesty and warmth.

Backed by discreet production that allows these timeless tunes suitable breathing space, this labour of love sees Lauper’s true colours shining through.

-SM

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