Cyndi Lauper - At Last
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Free Music Notes for At Last
Free Music Review: At Last Is The Best From Cyndi Lauper
Hit: 5 Stars
Words can't describe the emotions i feel everytime i put Cyndi's "At Last" in my cd player, whether at home or in the car(I haven't left home without it, since it arrived in my mailbox). Cyndi's voice is a gift from heaven. I've always said "Thank God" for Cyndi Lauper, and this CD just confirms she is one of the best if not the most amazing female vocalists we have. I've actually listened to this cd, so i can give an honest review of it, unlike a few others who are pre-judging it without really giving it a fair chance. Cyndi is definitely in her element on At Last. We just get to see another side to her musical talent...and this is not your typical standards record. It's thankfully unconventional in its style and approach. It's hard to keep your composure with such sad and heartbreaking songs as Unchained Melody, If You Go Away, and Edith Piaf's Hymn to love--definitely my personal favorite. Her vocals are breathtakingly gorgeous on this. The way Cyndi conveys her emotion on these songs is beyond words. Her voice is really mind blowing. Cyndi also does a great job w/Satchmo's remake of Sunny Side of the Street. It's a song i never get tired of listening too--it's on automatic repeat on my player. And Stay has been converted into a wonderfully entertaining Latin style tune. What's amazing to me on this record is how Cyndi can go from a small whisper of a voice into a four octave soprano in a blink of an eye. So many other artists try to to show range and emotion, but you don't feel it when they sing....but with Cyndi you feel the sadness she's feeling and the darkness and the genuine heartbreak she's experiencing inside. I love how every song has its own personality and identity. Cyndi thankfully steers clear of duplication. This has been said many times already on previous reviews, but i'll say it again, Cyndi transforms all of these songs completely in her own great style. At Last is one of those cd's i'm going to treasure for many years, and it's going right up there with the best of my pop and jazz standards classic cd collection. This is with out a doubt a classic record thru and thru.Free Music Review: Highly Satisfying Standards Collection
Hit: 5 Stars
Of all the standard cd's purchases I've made in the last year, from Rod to Bette to Barbra...this is by far the most interesting and most satisfying to my ears. I've been an admirier of Cyndi's work, but this cd sparked further interest in her music, and I plan on purchasing some of her previous cd's that I never had a chance to experience. I've noticed the controversial reviews here- though most are positive, a few are not. But At Last appears to be really striking a chord in a lot people, whether good or bad. I for one appreciate the depth of her talent, and find this cd to be a refreshing change from some of the ridiculously over produced, "standards cd disasters" that are now topping the charts. Cyndi clearly had a vision before she began to record these songs. I think she wanted to distance herself from the original artists interpretations of the songs, and fine tune them into a more contemporary sound and feel, more tailored to her own singing style. Like every album, there are some songs I prefer over others like on At Last. But that all depends on musical taste. What may be a standout track for one person, may not be for another. The tracks that drew me in were At last(exquisitely sung) Like many have mentioned, Unchained Melody(very heartfelt, well sung and well produced), Sunny Side of the Street(really enjoyed the Ska-Reggae treatment this is given and the great vocal work), Stay(Cyndi displays endless energy on this one), Hymn to Love(loved the fragility in her voice- beautiful vocal), If You Go Away(haunting), Walk On By(also haunting and beautifully sung), Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood(Was a huge fan of Eric Bourdon and the Animals, and I really enjoyed the slower sung vocal and arrangement). Everyone has their opinion, but this cd just confirms it for me, that Cyndi is a very talented singer, who expresses herself very well through her music, and I hope there are many more musical endeavors planned in her future.Free Music Review: I wanted to hate it. I really did.
Hit: 5 Stars
This is intriguing, reading such wildly disparate reviews. And you know what? It's joyous. Joyous that Cyndi elicits such intense emotional reactions, both positive *and* negative. It means she's doing something right. I'm reminded of 2 reviews in the New York Times, published side by side, when Nirvana's "Nevermind" was released years ago. One was titled "It's Brilliant," and the other, "It's Awful." Cyndi's "At Last" is much the same: bound to throw some listeners off, destined to confuse those who finally thought they had Cyndi Lauper figured out. I hated the idea of a covers album at first too. Then I listened to the whole album. Dear God, Cyndi, what planet are you from? How do you spin hoary clunkers like "Unchained Melody" into stunning little prayers? And who do you think you are, making me cry?
Five stars, and that's only cuz they won't allow me fifty.
It's unfortunate that some armchair critics have criticized the "production," which is in fact stellar (says the studio hack-by-trade.) The subtle violins glisten, the piano sparkles, and the infinite textures of Cyndi's voice leap out. We've grown so accustomed to polish and overproduced dreck that hearing just a voice - and that's all you'll find here, essentially - can be jarring. So can the occasional crack brought on by raw emotion. But Cyndi's got the balls to put it out there, straight from her soul. It's what separates the Cyndis and the Arethas and the Pattis from the rest of the pack - and it's the stuff that lives on long after we're gone.
So embrace your reaction to "At Last." Love it so much you want to devour it, hate it so much you need to post reviews on Amazon.com under different user names, which I've noticed in this case. But let the debate rage on. That's when you know it's art, friends.
Free Music Review: At Last Reveals A Whole New Voice
Hit: 5 Stars
Manny in Miami got it right. The idea of a "covers" album seems to disturb so many reviewers, but how else do new generations of music listeners discover some forgotten and lost gems? To me, an album by ANY artist I like should challenge me at least a little, or what's the point? Do I like every track on "At Last"? No. What I have made the same stylistic decisions as Cyndi Lauper? Probably not. But that's what makes this CD great to me. The challenge here is getting your ear let go of what you EXPECT these old songs to sound like, and allow the artist to recreate them, so that they APPEAR new. And this she has done to perfection. Highlights would have to include the stripped down title track, a pensive take on "Walk On By", the fun latin-infused "Stay", a sincere, moving "Unchained Melody" (never one of my faves), a breezy "Until You Come Back To Me", and the unexpectedly deep "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "You Really Got A Hold On Me." Her restraint breaks down here and there, and, having seen her perform these songs live recently, I do have to say she brings so much more to them live than in these studio recordings. Yet, all in all, "At Last" remains a mature, ambitious, and well-realized project that ultimately reveals a whole new side to a truly unique voice. As someone who managed to find a copy of the full "Shine" CD, yes it IS wonderful, and hopefully it WILL find wide release, but right now, we have "At Last", and it should be reviewed for the album it IS, and not for the album it ISN'T. Any true artist would be uncomfortable stagnating, and by taking chances like these, Cyndi Lauper continues to remind me why I've remained a fan for twenty years. If more record buyers took chances, the landscape in music wouldn't be so dreary...Free Music Review: It's not necessary to check the talent.
Hit: 5 Stars
Maybe, Cyndi might be best known for her untamed costumes, frantic look and video antics of the 80's. You can hear her greatest hits since "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," until her emotionally driven "I Drove All Night," newly covered of unpleasant way by Celine Dion, and you can recognize one of favorite 80's icon. But she has shown that she wasn't just a fad fun of the 80's. Her music has developed and her lyrics have matured. Cyndi had much more to say with her release "Hat Full Of Stars" in the early 90's. This evolution continues with her follow up 'Sisters Of Avalon". It's true, her commercial success wasn't what it used to be. But it did prove that Cyndi was one thriller of a songwriter. Such a she's constantly affirmed that she is better in her business.
This CD (her first in the last five years) is a new proves of Cyndi's artist talent. Cyndi begins her career played with a few cover bands performing several hits. And now she releases a classic standards collection which Cyndi had some success again.
"At Last" is a mellow and emotional CD. Cyndi's voice sounds powerful and sometimes equable, but you can note haven't technology in the record. Such a 50's recording method. It's including notable performing as "Walk On By," "My Baby Just Cares For Me" and "Hymn To Love" mixed with singular versions of "La Vie En Rose" and "Unchained Melody". The best tracks are "Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" and the excellent duet with Tony Bennett on "Makin' Whoopee". And the dancing tracks as the cha-cha "Stay" and the Caribbean rhythm of "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" contrasting with a not perfect vocal interpretation of "At Last" and "If You Go Away".
"At Last" is a good classic repertoire with singular and appropriate versions. Cyndi shows a good vocal achievement (with a couple of farfetched disappoints).