She's So Unusual is one of the best debut albums in the history of music.Unfortunately for Cyndi, with the release of this album drew unfair comparisons between herself and Madonna. Fortunately, this album is far superior to anything Madonna has put out as a whole in her entire career. She's So Unusual is a mix of fun pop songs and songs sung from the heart. There's no shortage of fun here, with Girls just Want to Have Fun, Yeah Yeah, I'll Kiss You and even She Bop which also raised a few eyebrows back in 1983. Of course, with Money Changes Everything, Time After Time, When You Were Mine (written by Prince), and All Through The Night, Cyndi's songs are so powerful and heartfelt it's hard to understand where those ridiculous Madonna comparisons came from. This is one of the best albums released in the 80's and remains one of my personal favorites today, this does not come off as 80's drek, infact it hasn't dated at all. It's a fun, emotional and wonderful exhibit of one of music's most unique and wonderful artists.

This review refers to the SACD version of this classic album. From reading other reviews of the SACD of CYNDI LAUPER, SHE'S SO UNUSUAL, one gets the feeling that the SACD version has a different mix than the black vinal or the standard CD of the same title. This just is not so! The SACD version of this excellent CYNDI LAUPER album has the same exact mix as all of the previous versions, but the SACD really rocks. Confusion might arise regarding an engineers sound mastering and an engineers sound mixing of music, and that is understandable.When an artist goes to the studio to record a song, they do so on a multi-channel tape machine. These original mixdown tapes, which often contain 8, 16 or even 32 tracks of information, contain the information which correlates to individual instruments and vocal takes. These original mixdown tapes are then mixed together to create a final version of the song that contains all of the different elements from the various instuments and vocals. This original master tape of an artists product usually contain just two channels, a right and a left channel, and it is this version that we, the consumer, listen to on the radio and from CDs. It is important to note, that a remastered disc does not mean remixed, it means that an engineer went back to the original master tape and tweaked the sound of the two channel information to clean up the distortion, or to otherwise make some minor adjustments to the sound quality.That is exactly what this SACD version of SHE'S SO UNUSUAL contains, a remastered edition of this classic album, not a remixed version. You can rest assured that when you play this SACD you will hear the same mix of vocals and instruments that you are familar with, but with a new vibrancy and clearness that will blow you away. As a very huge fan of this classic album, I can tell you that this SACD version blows away every other version for sound quality. Once you listen to the SACD of SHE'S SO UNUSUAL, you will be CYNDI LAUPER fan forever.

It's easy to undertsand why Cyndi Lauper will always have a place in music history. This album says it all. Songs like "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "Time After Time" take me back to those days when I was a kid and had those songs on vinyl. "Money Changes Everything" is so true in its message that people will only stand by you if you have money. Of course the scandalous (in those days) "She Bop" shows that Cyndi was not afraid to talk about something that only few artists have dared to mention in their songs. The 1920's-ish "He's So Unusal" reflects Cyndi's uniqueness which is why I think this album was so successful. All the songs are great and they reflect that 80's beat that we all know and love. Buy this album, you won't regret it!

Why this record didn't lead to megastar status for Cyndi is still beyond me. It has the musical freshness and quirky charisma (not to mention a whole passle of good tunes) which should have sent Lauper to pop heaven with that other breakout female singer (can't remember her name, something Catholic) in 1984. But it didn't. Still, after nearly 15 years, returning to this CD is an unmitigated delight: the infectious joy of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" still communicates, as does the wholesale delicacy and pathos of "Time After Time" and "All Throught the Night." Best yet, Cyndi could really sing--check out the sustained notes she hits at the end of "Money Changes Everything." I think people got caught up in Lauper's rainbow-haired look and forgot to listen as closely as they should have. (Note: the original CD transfer isn't all that good, hence the one star deduction--Columbia/SONY needs to reissue it. But if you don't mind highlights, the "12 Deadly Cyns" CD contains some well mastered versions of a number of "Unusual's" hits.) Cyndi, in a Material World, you're still so unusual, thank God!

In 1980, Cyndi Lauper released an album with the band Blue Angel, which she led. In the US, it flopped. Then she was forced to quit because she lost her singing voice. Doctors didn't expect her to sing again. This almost shattered her dreams of success in music. In the following years, she proved them wrong namely in 1984. Those who know these events are amazed by her miraculous recovery as they listen to her sing.

When Cyndi Lauper released her debut album "She's So Unusual" and her first single "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", she instantly took the world by storm. She was often compared to Madonna, who was also newly emerging at the time. More than just her wild image and wild antics proved that she is a true work of art. Such quality led many critics expecting her to stay on top for many years. She later earned the Grammy for Best New Artist for 1984.

The wild pop music, which matches perfectly with her image, keeps listeners smiling through every note. Its funky and dance additions keep the music unique and timeless. Therefore, this is an album that capitalizes the 1980's. The catchy beats remain catchy today. Her throaty vocals blend perfectly with the theme and offers the added fun theme. She never loses her edge with any song as she sings odes (...), girl power, love, and more. Through the wildness, she rooms two ballads, which are performed beautifully: hit singles "Time After Time" and "All Through the Night". Despite the mellow theme, the emotional value never loses its touch.

Her overall musical quality have many fans looking beyond her image and crediting her rightfully as a true artist. "She's So Unusual" is the essential album for any Cyndi Lauper and/ or 1980's music fan. This will surely keep listeners dancing for many more years. Those interested in hearing a Cyndi Lauper update should also buy her 2003 successful release "At Last", which launched her as the biggest comeback of that year. This combination makes for great musical enjoyment.