Cyndi Lauper Shines Again

If
you haven’t heard Cyndi Lauper’s latest release, “Shine”, a five-track
EP that was released last summer, go to the store and buy it immediately.  It’s Classic Cyndi and
not only is it her strongest material since the 80s, the song “Shine”
ranks with her very best. 
If “Shine” had been released 15 years ago, it would’ve easily
reached number one and if radio stations today would give her a
chance, the song would make the top twenty.

Another
great song off the EP is “It’s Hard to Be Me,” an upbeat, tongue-in-cheek
rocker that gives its genesis to words that Anna Nicole Smith spoke
during her inheritance trial.

Such
a strong album came as a complete shock to me, never thinking that
Cyndi would release songs that were as good as the music on her
“Twelve Deadly Cyns” collection. 
I discovered her resurgence last summer when I got to see
her live, opening up for Cher, at the Staples Center. 
I was going hoping to hear her 80’s hits, but what I got
was so much more. 

Dressed
in a suit, with bleached blond hair, Cyndi walked out onto stage,
her voice soaring as she sang “Shine,” a song I had never heard
before, but fell in love with immediately. 
I was so impressed by the power and range of her voice and
the quality of the song, but that was only the beginning. 
She sang her hits and new ones like, “Still With Me,” a mid-tempo,
melodic-filled song that sounded as good as “Shine” and will be
on her forthcoming album. 
Where did this sudden burst of creativity come I kept asking
myself as I watched her perform?

After
doing a little research, I learned that the “Shine” was supposed
to have been a full album released in September of 2001, but the
record label went out of business, so she released an EP to tide
fans over until she signed with someone else. 
Cyndi then toured with Cher getting great reviews and making
a lot of new fans and giving people a chance to rediscover her music. 

All
Cyndi needs now is a record label and a little promotion and her
music will reach the masses again. 
It amazes me that no one has signed her yet with her growing,
reinvigorated fan base and a hit album ready to be released.  Hopefully we’ll get to
hear it soon and watch Cyndi reach the top again.