Bring Ya To The Brink

Cyndi Lauper

Epic, 2008

http://www.cyndilauper.com

REVIEW BY: Mark Millan

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 07/10/2008

Being the newest (at the moment) member of the Daily Vault, I thought it’d be nice to introduce an artist who has yet to be reviewed here, and after a quick skimming of the archives, my choice wasn’t hard upon seeing that Cyndi Lauper has not yet made an appearance. With a career now exceeding twenty-five years, the Queens native has forged a varied and unique body of work that ranges from pop to rock and everywhere in between. Lauper rose to fame in the early 1980’s and was embraced for her originality and genuine talents, as well as some killer videos that the MTV crowd ate up with a healthy appetite. 

Ironically, Lauper’s biggest competition seemed to be Madonna, another ‘80s up-start who had the ego to match her ambition and who has just released her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy, a R&B dance record. Bring Ya To The Brink is Lauper’s tenth studio album and is also a dance record, and while Madge went to the hip R&B kids of today, Lauper went the electronica route and employed some of its finest innovators to collaborate with: Basement Jaxx, Axwell, Digital Dog, and Johan Boback, to name a few, all contribute their beats and sonic expertise as the background for Cyndi’s voice and lyrics. Most of the songs here would probably have worked as straight pop or even rock in some cases, and although there are many producers featured here, they have managed to make a cohesive and even album.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

The album opens with one of my favurite tracks here, “High and Mighty,” which is a minimalist’s paradise with a simple beat and great lyrics. It wouldn’t sound out of place on a Kylie Minogue album. Lauper’s vocals are sweetly restrained and breathy, adding to the stripped back sound, and overall it’s great fun. The first track gives way to the second, “Into The Nightlife,” without a pause; “Nightlife” is a more traditional dance track with an infectious chorus that will no doubt introduce Lauper to the dance floors across the world. Next up, “Rocking Chair” sounds much like the opener and is just as much fun.

My other favorite here is the official first single “Same Ol’ Story.” It’s the most pop of the tracks here (and the one in which Cyn drops the f-bomb for the chorus: “It’s the same ol’ fuckin’ story / With your two different sets of rules / The same ol’ fuckin’ story / one for me, two for you.”) Who’s she singing about, I wonder? The answer becomes no more obvious with the following track “Raging Storm,” in which Lauper laments the “demise of democracy” and the loss of compassion in today’s world.

“Set Your Heart” is another upbeat song with positive lyrics to match. It’s the obvious choice for another single, should it be required. Although for me, listening to a dance album in its entirety can be a little tedious (unless you’re actually dancing to it), there’s enough substance here to override the fact that there’s a little too much filler.  For example, “Echo,” “Lyfe,” and “Give It Up” offer nothing new or memorable and while the album’s closer “Rain On Me” fares a little better, the second half of the disc can get a bit monotonous. Dare I say it -- this one’s really for the die-hards only.

Rating: B

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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© 2008 Mark Millan and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Epic, and is used for informational purposes only.