Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Quality Effort!, July 7, 2002
It's interesting to see that, although there is a divergence of opinion on just where to place this CD in Cyndi Lauper's oeuvre, most of the reviewers below find "A Hat Full of Stars" to be a quality effort. Indeed, there was little reason for Cyndi's '90s work not be better promoted and better known. Tastes change, of course, but Sony really should have found a better marketing strategy to promote Lauper's more mature work. The fact that many people still consider her to be a sort of novelty act is disheartening. She is a singer of considerable range and an artist who takes her work seriously and has seldom, if ever, come up short.Rock critics, who championed Lauper in '84, pretty much abanoned her by the late 80's. That's a pity, because she was developing as a singer and as a songwriter the whole time. I understand that some fans found this more seriously-themed effort (she addresses such topics as abuse, abortion, and racism) as something of a "downer." But "Feels Like Christmas" is exuberant, and the (mysteriously ignored) single "Who Let In the Rain" is elegant pop. Perhaps the only problem with the song is that it was released shortly after Madonna's similarly themed "Rain"--echoing the whole "True Colors" / "True Blue" synchronicity from the '80s. One thing Cyndi Lauper does not need is more Madonna comparisons. Yes, they did emerge at the same time and they both were originally exponents of thrift store chic, but the similarities pretty much end there--well, OK, they're both Italian-American Catholics too...but the similarities really DO end there. OK, OK, they both came from homes that were at least at times single-parented, and they both had issues with step-family. But the similarities really do end there!! Here's the key difference: Cyndi Lauper decided, at some point, to focus more on her music than on her persona. She has paid a price for that in terms of commercial viability. But as this CD and her subsequent work demonstrate, she remains a talent to be reckoned with. It's a downright shame that her work has been so ignored.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From the 30's feel of the album cover...., September 18, 2004
to the tug of your emotions when you let this amazing collection play over and over again, you'll not regret that you took the time to hear this CD from the timeless Cyndi Lauper.
Looking for something different this spring, I chanced on the collection of old musical standards that Cyndi Lauper released, entitled, "At Last". Suddenly, and quite amazingly, I realized that the perky little clown of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was really not who Cyndi was all along. She was just never marketed until the last few years as an innovator, both as a songstress and a songwriter, and someone who insures that the musicians and production values are first rate. After wearing out "At Last", I looked for something she'd done that I missed in the past, and found an extensive collection of vibrant music. "At Last" made me sit up and take notice, but the CD she released in 1993, that was doomed to fail, "A Hatful of Stars", was provocative in that Cyndi had a hand in writing every song.
And so it goes, the CD's you love the most may be those that you stumble across, quite by accident - collections that work for you, that may have not sold well, "secrets" kept by only the faithful few that consistently follow an artist throughout their career. And that is what "A Hatful of Stars", is for me - a thematic work that showed us that the wistful, vibrant and spectacular voice Cyndi displayed on her early "serious" work, "Time After Time", was no accident.
In "Hatful of Stars", Cyndi explores a variety of ballads and subtle hip-hop rhythms and takes on a number of issues in her writing that come straight from the heart of a serious poet and musician. Certainly, the most memorable song, is, as the many reviews here will prove, the one she penned with Mary Chapin Carpenter - a sad song dealing with the consequences of abortion..."Sally's Pigeons". This may be one of the most revealing songs written by a woman of the pain and change that haunt a life after the act.
Equally important to me on the CD are the cuts "Who Let In the Rain"...the only commercial success on the CD, and one of those tunes that runs and runs through your head and never seems to let go. "Product of Misery", "Broken Glass", "A Hatful of Stars" and the global-themed "A Part Hate" add dimension to the plaintiveness of this CD, and the collection works as a series of themes, with no songs that contrast or glare. As with her efforts in this new century, Cyndi has surrounded herself with audio genius and musicians that are as superb as her own efforts.
Truly a beautiful CD that hasn't been, and won't be heard by as many people as it deserves to be, this is a timeless collection that make me glad I rediscovered this amazing woman.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
That's What I Think., March 20, 2000
Being a long time fan of Cyndi Lauper has been hard. First, dealing with the ridicule, then dealing with the lack of promotion, then dealing with a change in musical ambition. In 1993, ten years after She's So Unusual, I believe Cyndi made her landmark recording. No one noticed. Not even a hit. Thanks Sony Records. Because this is a hidden gem that only Cyndi fans will enjoy. Twelve tracks that work so well that the only other cd I can compare it to is She's So Unusual. Great songs abound on this cd like "That's What I Think", "Who Let In The Rain", "Sally's Pigeons", "Feels Like Christmas", "Dear John", "A Part Hate" and "Hat Full Of Stars." I don't believe Cyndi ever sounded better, nor more confident than on this cd. Her 1996 cd, Sisters of Avalon, found Cyndi moving in another direction that was good, but not quite as good as Hat Full of Stars. This is a must have for any rock collector.
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