After covering other people's songs in her last release (2003's At Last), Cyndi Lauper yet again deviates from releasing an album of new material & instead covers her OWN songs on The Body Acoustic. Yes, these are acoustic versions of earlier hits & album tracks, with the help of some guests that include Sarah McLachlan, Shaggy, Vivian Green, Ani DiFranco, Jeff Beck, and Taking Back Sunday frontman Adam Lazzara.

For most of these songs, "acoustic" doesn't always equal "downtempo." Sure, there are some obvious choices [read: ballads] that don't sound too radically different, like "Time After Time," "True Colors" & "Water's Edge," but they still pack an emotional punch. Especially "True Colors."

It's the more uptempo songs that fare better with the acoustic treatment. Songs like "Money Changes Everything," which now sounds like a twangy singalong, & "She Bop," which is slowed down to sound like a bluesy confessional. I'm not saying one version is superior to the other; these are just new incarnations of familiar songs. And for the most part, they're really good. I was even pleased with "All Through The Night," which sounds almost rootsy with it's folk-like fiddle. She collaborates on the song with reggae star Shaggy, whom I normally despise, along with most reggae music, but he & Cyndi do a lot of good to the song, which has always been one of my favorites. It gets a new, pulsing, rhythmic flow. Other highlights include "Shine" & "Sisters of Avalon."

As with most compilations these days, there are a couple new tracks thrown in the mix: "Above The Clouds" & "I'll Be Your River" are two deeply poignant ballads that sound like classic Cyndi Lauper. But it really makes you yearn for an album of all-new material!

The only disappointment is yet another version of "Girls Just Want To Have Fun." She already gave it the calypso treatment on "Hey Now" (from 1994's hits collection, 12 Deadly Cyns), so I was hoping for (& excited about) a completely different retelling of the song, along the lines of "She Bop." Well, instead we get a terrrible ska-lite version of the song with the help of that sugar-coated Japanese pop duo, Puffy AmiYumi. Oh well. It's the one downside of an album that's otherwise surprisingly entertaining & consistently agreeable.

If you're a Cyndi Lauper fan, I'd hope that you give this a shot before just writing it off!

Very happy to hear some new songs from Cyndi-- Above the Clouds and I'll Be Your River are beautiful ballads. I love that Cyndi plays the dulcimer. The re-workings of Cyndi classics are also great. The featured guests add to the songs in interesting ways. I can't tell what Shaggy is saying most of the time on All Through the Night, but his contribution is still fun.

The DVD side of the DualDisc has great quality. Very cool to see the music videos and the "kinda sorta" behind-the-scenes feature.

Yesterday I was doing some Christmas shopping, and took it upon myself to buy a copy of "The Body Acoustic."

And it's without question, one of the most outstandingly brilliant things that I have heard in a looooooooong time. I don't really go in for pop music unless it's something with substance, intelligence and class... three traits that, especially today, tend to not be found in pop music. This album serves up all three in spades, along with several extra helpings of raw talent.

This album is a sonic treasure, something so impossibly rare that the moment I heard it, it's as though it just crawled way down to the depths of my soul and caused my entire being to vibrate. Each track on it is a brilliant jewel, so intrinsically detailed and delicate... only they're so strong that you just know this is music that will be cast in concrete and enjoyed for decades to come. The fact that the original versions of some of these songs are over 20 years old and still send shivers down my spine are just testaments to that fact.

Basically, the whole album is a collection of acoustic recordings, consisting largely of acoustic guitar, violin, piano, some percussion, and the string dulcimer, which Cyndi herself plays. There are I believe, three brand new songs - one of which, if it doesn't move you to tears, you have NO heart whatsoever - and about ten of Cyndi's older songs, except they're all recorded from scratch with new acoustic instrument arrangements, so they all sound very organic, very dignified and genuine... very vulnerable and sticky sweet. And at the same time, needless to say, everything sounds very very contemporary and real. I'd like to mention a few standouts - except the thing is, the whole freaking album is a standout. I can't single out any phenomenal tracks without listing the entire track list of the CD. It's that good.

Guest vocalists on the album include Ani Difranco, Shaggy, Sarah McLachlan and Adam Lazzarra of Taking Back Sunday... and they all do a magnificent job and add new dimensions to the music without overpowering it. In particular, Sarah McLachlan's vocals on "Time After Time" are just positively angelic.

Cyndi's vocals throughout the record are nothing shy of spectacular. Each song crackles with the electricity of an extremely gifted performer working her performance like a pro - which, if there had ever been a shred of doubt, Cyndi truly proves that she is. Her voice expressively paints each track with her emotions, her vulnerability. There is a haunting uniqueness to her vocal style, tinged with a slightly raspy and emotive quality that is so special, so delightful to the ear, that each track begs to be played again and again. Magnificent.

"The Body Acoustic" is a TOWERING ACHIEVEMENT in the history of popular music. In fact, forget that, it's a pretty righteous achievement in the history of all music. This is something very, very, very, very special, and should be heard and loved by all.

I have fond memories of dancing to the vinyl of "She's So Unusual" as a child growing up in New York. Since that time, Cyndi has always held a special place in my heart. Her latest album is an acoustic reworking of highlights from her career. Quite simply it is the most refreshing album released in recent times.

Money Changes Everything with Adam Lazzara ****

-A wise choice to open the album as this song is given new life and Cyndi's voice takes center stage as the true force behind the album...the girl can sing ANYTHING! Adam Lazzara provides great backing vocals on this track. He usually is lead vocals for his band, Taking Back Sunday.

All Through The Night with Shaggy ***

-I go back and forth on the necessity of Shaggy on this track, personally I think he detracts from a solid rendition of "All Through The Night". Perhaps Shaggy is on there to help make it sound different from the original.

Time After Time with Sarah McLachlan ****

-OH MY GOD!!! Cyndi Lauper AND Sarah McLachlan singing one of the most wrenchingly beautiful songs of ALL TIME!!! This is simply an amazing track!

She Bop *****

-After repeated listens, this is the true stand out track for me! Unbelievably reworked from the original, She Bop (the infamous female masturbation song) becomes a gritty blues song about female sexuality. The levels this song possesses in this new version blows my mind. The song stays in your head long after you've listened it to it!

Above The Clouds with Jeff Beck ****

-One of the new tracks, it is a very solid "feel good about yourself" song that again features Cyndi's powerhouse vocals!

I'll Be Your River with Vivian Green ****

-The other new track that is beautiful. Though Cyndi's vocal talents are AMAZING, her lyrics are not far behind. What a heartfelt song that is truly a spirtual experience. Vivian Green is no stranger to strong supporting vocals as she started out as a backup vocalist for Jill Scott.

Sisters Of Avalon with Ani DiFranco and Vivian Green**

-Not my favorite Cyndi Lauper song, but it's tolerable here. The highlight is Ani DiFranco's short solo verse that just blows! The energy of the song carries it, but on an album of gems this is the closest thing to a misstep.

Shine ****

-One of the most encouraging songs ever written with Cyndi's vocals making you want to be a better person!

True Colors ****

-Again...encouraging...powerhouse vocals...great lyrics.

Water's Edge with Sarah McLachlan ***

-McLachlan and Lauper join forces again for this beautiful song from her blink and you missed it "Shine" EP. It is not as solid as her other ballads though.

Fearless ***

-Good song, but unforunately I don't make it this far in the CD very often because I keep starting from the beginning:-) However, I am listening to it right now and it is a solid song, a little different from all the other songs on here...in a good way. A very subtle and graceful vocal performance from Miss Lauper.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun with Puffy Ami Yummi ****

-A great ska-like reworking of the song that put Cyndi on the map! Great energy although the inclusion of J-Pop group Puffy Ami Yummi is a little Gwen Stefani/Harajuka Girls-y to me, it is a solid ending to a solid album!!!

Cyndi Lauper has ONLY improved with age and has one of the most distinct and powerful voices in the world of music today! The girl can sing, play her own instruments, and write her own music! What an AMAZING album!!!

Peace Out,

JRamp

"Are you drunk?" might be an appropriate question after reading the title of this review. Sadly, the answer is no, and yet I still choose Cyndi Lauper's latest CD The Body Acoustic as a standout.

I was never a Lauper fan in the 80's. In fact, I was not much of an 80's music fan at all. Very little good music was made in the 80's, at least not on the pop side. While many critics would always extol the brilliance of Cyndi's music, as well as her ability to reinvent herself enabling her to continue being relevant in the ever-changing music scene. Around 2000 I was given a copy of her `classic' album She's So Unusual as proof I listened to it once, said `ick' and filed it in the `ol archives.

Well, reinvent indeed. Her latest CD is an acoustic project featuring many of her former hits in unique arrangements. I actually like it. From the opening viola/fiddle on the first track Money Changes Everything, you know this ain't the big hair Cyndi Lauper of the 80's. All Through the Night features an interesting Caribbean counter-melody' by Shaggy, which actually works. (who knew?)

The standout cut is a recast of her biggest hit Time After Time. Again, while it has always possessed some interesting chord progressions, I always dismissed it because it was Cyndi Lauper. But this arrangement with Sarah McLachlan, features a beautiful cello and a dulcimer, which Cyndi supposedly learned to play by studying Mel Bay books. The lyrics really are beautiful, a fact lost on me previously, based on the original arrangement.

Above the Clouds features a nice guitar track by Jeff Beck, albeit electric. Lauper's vocals on True Colors shows off her raspy, edgy voice. The last tune is a silly, yet fun ska arrangement of Girls Just Want to Have Fun, complete with a horn section.

If you can put out of your mind that this is a Cyndi Lauper album, you're in for a cool listening experience.