When I heard that another Cyndi Lauper best-of album was going to be released, my first question was whether this new collection would measure up to her previous best-of collections, especially 12 Deadly Cyns...And Then Some. Well I can tell you that it certainly does. Essential Cyndi Lauper, in my opinion, comes the closest to being the ideal Cyndi collection available. But before I go on, I thought it would be helpful to first give a track listing (taken from her official website) since there doesn't seem to be one here:

1) Girls Just Want To Have Fun
2) Money Changes Everything
3) Who Let In The Rain
4) She Bop
5) Time After Time
6) I Drove All Night
7) Hat Full Of Stars
8) Change Of Heart
9) Sisters Of Avalon
10) All Through The Night
11) True Colors
12) When You Were Mine
13) Unhook The Stars
14) The Goonies 'R' Good Enough

The first thing I noticed about this collection is that it offers *all 6* of the smash hits from She's So Unusual. That alone is a major plus when it comes to a Cyndi Lauper collection. I would have liked to see "What's Going On" on this disc instead of "Change Of Heart," as I think that song better represents the True Colors album. But oh well, "True Colors" is here, and that's the biggest hit from her sophmore release. Yet again, only "I Drove All Night" is included from Cyndi's highly underrated A Night To Remember album. The powers-that-be still think that this song is the only worthy one off that album. But we know better, don't we?

Another thing worth mentioning about this collection is that it offers songs from both Hat Full Of Stars and Sisters Of Avalon. Whether you agree or disagree that the songs here representing those albums are the best selections, it's nice to see some songs from Cyndi's lesser-known (but still great) albums here.

And of course, my review wouldn't be complete without saying that "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" has FINALLY been included in an official domestic best-of collection. Until now, one had to spend quite a lot of money to get this song from the import collections or the (also pricy, not to mention hard to find) Goonies soundtrack. The inclusion of "The Goonies" here will surely make a lot of Cyndi fans quite pleased. I think it's a tragedy that "Hole In My Heart (All The Way To China)" is again not included in a Cyndi Lauper best-of compilation. If it had been, I would have given this album 5 stars without a second thought. So if you want that song, you'll need to find the Japanese version of 12 Deadly Cyns or A Night To Remember: it's a bonus track on both of those albums.

All in all though, this Cyndi Lauper collection doesn't disappoint and delivers. Highly recommended.

Cyndi Lauper is wonderful. That's a given. And when I heard this CD was coming out, I was very excited. I was finally going to have all of Cyndi Lauper's hits together on one CD! Well, I gave Epic too much credit, and was therefore disappointed when I received this collection. Where is "What's Going On," which was a #12 pop hit in 1986? And where are the excellent minor hits "Hole In My Heart," "My First Night Without You" and "Boy Blue?" Of course, Lauper's Top-10 hits are here, but Epic passed up an excellent opportunity to produce a CD containing all the hits. Also, why were "Sisters of Avalon" and "Unhook The Stars" (nonhit tracks) included and "You Don't Know" and "Ballad of Cleo and Joe" (both hits on the dance charts in the mid '90s) not on this disc?

Sony Music shortchanges Lauper by only giving her one disc (and 14 tracks only!!!!) She deserves much better, and this is what it should look like:

Disc One:

1. Money Changes Everything
2. Girls Just Want To Have Fun
3. When You Were Mine
4. Time After Time
5. She Bop
6. All Through The Night
7. Witness
8. The Goonies 'R' Good Enough
9. Change Of Heart
10. Boy Blue
11. True Colors
12. What's Going On
13. Iko Iko
14. The Faraway Nearby
15. Hole In My Heart (All The Way To China)
16. I Drove All Night
17. Like A Cat
18. A Night To Remember
19. I Don't Want To Be Your Friend

Disc Two:

1. That's What I Think
2. Who Let In The Rain
3. Sally's Pigeons
4. A Part Hate
5. Hat Full Of Stars
6. Come On Home
7. Sisters Of Avalon
8. Ballad Of Cleo + Joe
9. You Don't Know
10. Fearless
11. Brimstone And Fire
12. Shine
13. Madonna Whore
14. This Kind Of Love
15. Waters Edge
16. I Miss My Baby
17. Stay
18. Makin' Whoopee (Duet With Tony Bennett)
19. You've Really Got A Hold On Me

They took 6 tracks from her debut, then they strangely take two from her second album, one from her third, two from her fourth, two from her fifth and none from her sixth! What?!! Sure it's nice to have Goonies, but no Hole In My Heart???!! Don't buy this, make your own compilation or wait until they get it right.

Cyndi Lauper has been another one of the most successful female solo artists of the early 80s. Her career started to take a fall with the release of 1989 album, A Night To Remember. After the unwanted failure of A Night To Remember (1989). In 1993, Cyndi released another album that failed entitled, Hat Full Of Stars.

In 2003, she was able to release, The Essential Cyndi Lauper, her second greatest hits compilation since Twelve Deadly Cyns ...And Then Some (1994). I definitely call it a must-have album.

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN
From the album She's So Unusual (1983). I have loved this song since my years in middle school. I love it's fun-filled energy and I love it's crazed vibe. It's a classic all the way.

MONEY CHANGES EVERYTHING
From the album She's So Unusual (1983). Another great song, but in my opinion, not among the best. I hope you know that it's true that money, in most ways, most certainly does change everything.

WHO LET IN THE RAIN
From the album Hat Full Of Stars (1993). The album Hat Full Of Stars (1993), as for I know, only had three songs I ever liked and they are That's What I Think, Hat Full Of Stars, and Who Let The Rain In. This is a moving ballad and I recommend that you all listen to it.

SHE BOP
From the album She's So Unusual (1983). I still can't get over the fact that this one talks about female masturbation. Nobody wagged their fingers at Cyndi for making a song like this, but if Madonna recorded this song, the critics and parents would have been down her throat. This is a great song. I remember watching Cyndi's Behind The Music on VH1. When they were talking about this track and all the controversey, Cyndi said that her mother called her up and said, "Is this song about... that?" I was laughing for days.

TIME AFTER TIME
From the album She's So Unusual (1983). I have always enjoyed this song because of its moving arrangements and vocal arrangements. Everytime I see Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow dance with Alan Cumming to this song in 'Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion', I cry after laughing so hard, even though they did a great job with the choreography. I know shouldn't be laughing because they danced so great, but it's just that they chose a romantic ballad that requires slow-dancing and they decided to use ballet as their dance.

I DROVE ALL NIGHT
From the album A Night To Remember (1989). This is one of the best songs I have heard from Cyndi Lauper and it came from the best album Cyndi Lauper has ever recorded, A Night To Remember. The album did not get the recognition it deserved, it is her best album by far.

HAT FULL OF STARS
From the album Hat Full Of Stars (1993). Another great song from the Hat Full Of Stars album. I knew from the moment I read the title that it would be a great song and I was right. I love it when I'm right.

CHANGE OF HEART
From the album True Colors (1986). This is one of the three songs from the True Colors (1986) album that I like. The True Colors (1986) album is not a favorite album of mine, all though I love the front and back covers of that album. This song has a great vibe to it and the lyrics are well-written. Cyndi's voice was amazing on this one to begin with, but The Bangles', who provided back-ups, vocals thicken Cyndi's voice, making her voice sound like it has more enthusiasm.

SISTERS OF AVALON
From the album Sisters Of Avalon (1997). This is a good song, but it's not like her original sound. If she decided to change her sound, she shouldn't have made it sound like this. I know she has the talent to better than this.

ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT
From the album She's So Unusual (1983). This is another song with a moving sound. The vocals are incredible, the music is incredible. Who would not love this song, except for people with no brains?

WHEN YOU WERE MINE
From the album She's So Unusual (1983). Although, this is a great song, I don't like the fact that it was originally done by Prince. I literally hate Prince with a passion. In my opinion, he's a great lyricist, but he and his music can go straight to hell because I can't stand him or his music.

TRUE COLORS
From the album True Colors (1986). The second of three songs I like from the True Colors (1986) album. The guitar arrangements are incredible.

UNHOOK THE STARS
From the album Sisters Of Avalon (1997). She did reinvent her sound for the Sisters Of Avalon (1997) album and not well at all. This is a song I always skip. I can't waste my time listening to a song that sounds like crap.

THE GOONIES 'R' GOOD ENOUGH
From the original motion picture & soundtrack The Goonies (1985). The Goonies has always been one of my favorite movies. The movie was filmed and released in 1985, the year that I was born. It's hard for me to believe that this movie is as old as I am and I still get a kick out of it. This song is amazing and Cyndi was the right choice to record it. The movie, original motion picture score, and this song all remind me of Wildwood, New Jersey. I don't know why, it just happened. This is one of the best songs from Cyndi Lauper and I'm happy to know that it was included in this incredible collection.

If you are a Cyndi Lauper fan, then you need to buy a copy of this collection. It's worth all the money you pay and you are guaranteed to be impressed.

I love this album. The musical and vocal arrangements are fantastic. My favorite song is "All Through The Night".