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53 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
She'll Take Ya Till Ya All Spun Up, May 27, 2008
Cyndi Lauper's career has seen her success fluctuate from dizzying highs to off-the-scale lows, with a startlingly diverse artistic palette and long gaps between albums doubtless accounting for the lion's share of the inconsistency. She flourished as a pop culture ingénue with her eccentric, flamboyant image, but this contrasted with her more inherent identity as a state of the art song stylist and inventive, highly skilled songwriter and musician. Now a quarter century has passed and the average person is still at a loss for words to properly define Lauper. Regardless, she has never sounded more at home on brand new dance floor-ready studio album "Bring Ya to the Brink." The girl who just wanted to have fun truly sounds as though she is having the time of her life, and it shows.
A definite nod to her core fanbase in the LGBT community, the theme of "Bring Ya to the Brink" does not showcase the New York native's soaring range as her 2003 chestnut covers collection "At Last" did, for example. Rather, it boasts frenetic, club-ready beats and propulsive, repetitious melodies, replete with disco ball imagery. That is exactly as it is supposed to be. From the funky, loquacious opener "High and Mighty" with its temperamental synths to the sweeping gust of wind that is "Set Your Heart," the album is wall to wall uptempo energy, making it an ideal summer disc.
Some could say that Lauper is aping Madonna, whose last two LPs were aimed straight at nightclubs and dance floors. However, the key difference is that "Bring Ya to the Brink" neither flagrantly tips the hat to the past nor makes an earnest effort to keep things trendy or Top 40 savvy. Instead, Lauper mixes together 80's new wave stylings with easy, effusive beats that are nothing if not indicative of the late 2000s to create a sound neither retro nor modern, but simply the genesis of her atypical artistic vision. The most important thing, however, is that it never fails to entertain.
Hooks run aplenty on "Echo," a bittersweet slice of Eurodance, as well as lead single "Same Ol' Story," a 12"-length gem which is currently climbing the club charts thanks to its fluffy production values reminiscent of ace 70's collaborations between Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder. Indeed, as Lauper declares on the sweaty, propulsive "Give It Up," "I've got to get back to the floor!"
With this new direction she has her cake and eats it too, as she continues to make heady statements and social commentary where she sees fit in spite of the levity that surrounds. "Lyfe," with its memorable chorus ("Lyfe/It can shake ya/It can break ya/It can bring ya to the brink") serves as a prime example, as does "Raging Storm," a meditation on problems inherent in the values of today's cultural landscape:
"Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief/You can fool some people, but you can't fool me/Harbor all the hate and greed/Threaten demise of democracy/There's a raging storm in a troubled sea/But you're clouding my mind with celebrity."
Second single "Into the Nightlife" is the most instantly addicting with its gyrating snyths, stomp-on-glass production values and cheeky, sexual lyrics ("Shirtless wonders wreck my sight under the light"), providing the most potent chance for a crossover to pop radio, while "Rocking Chair," a frothy, mercurial collaboration with Basement Jaxx, provides a mighty hook and eye-popping lyrics. It's a joy to hear Lauper wrap her vocals around its juicy, uncontainable melody.
"Lay Me Down" with its haunting, inescapable melody and evocative lyrics is the album's arguable highlight, while "Rain on Me" closes the disc with a wistful, bittersweet high note that is exemplary of Lauper's unique voice as a songwriter.
"Bring Ya to the Brink" continues Lauper's career with another top notch release. Each track is a gem with no trace of filler. Lauper never fails to reveal new aspects of her unique, thoroughly entertaining talents as both a singer and songwriter, and this new release keeps the bar raised high.
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48 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Diverse Dance & Pop Music at its Best!, May 27, 2008
BYTTB is fun, playful and different, just like on "Sisters of Avalon". I totally love "Into the Nightlife". What a fantastic song! Hopefully this will be Cyndi's 1st single. A perfect song for summer listening on your ipod. The chorus is catchy and the beat is bouncy and flowing. Totally a clubfloor smash hit. Tracks 1 & 2 pretty much run one into another like 1 long song. A perfect opener, although track 1 is a little less outstanding than track 2. Finally Cyndi has written new material. It's been too long since she came out with an album of all new stuff.
"Rocking Chair" totally depicts my love of rocking chairs. This is my theme song. lol Cyndi has a lot of fun with the vocal layering and ad lib in her fun Brooklyn accent. "Rocking Chair" is a very fun song indeed.
The opening 2 minutes of "Echo" would remind you of a Kylie Minogue song in a way, because of the keyboards & beat. But then the song picks up in the chorus and totally blows the intro out of the water. Very summery and could work as a perfect clubfloor song too, in the hands of the right remixer/s.
"Lyfe" takes another turn, visiting Cyndi's bluesy style. A little R&B mixed with some chillout, urban sound. So far, the CD is totally working with me, unlike any of Cyndi's other albums (upon first listen). That is good. "Lyfe" has nice vocal layering and it's a sexy song. Makes me think of something Kristine W has done on her "Land of the Living" album.
"Same Ol' Story" is a clubfloor dancehit without a doubt. Every aspect of this song makes it simply one of Cyndi's best songs to date. Even with the F word heard throughout the chorus, I just love the song. Like they say, good things come to this whom wait, and this album is a true gem, worth the wait.
"Raging Storm".......here we go again with another dancefloor hit. Nothing boring yet. The song style follows in the previous tracks footsteps.
"Lay Me Down" starts out slow and picks up with sort of a disco beat but not as fast-paced as the previous tracks. It's a little more alternative in a way, with the pop sound interlaced. Lyrically one of the best songs on the album, I think.
"Give It Up".......ok, back to the dancy stuff again. Honestly, I'm not sorry for buying the album or for hurrying out to the store to get it first thing in the morning, half-asleep. lol Once again, this song is interlaced with electronica, disco and a pure nightlife clubfloor hopping edge.
"Set Your Heart" starts out sounding exactly like Pet Shop Boys "Saturday Night" chorus line. Another true dancy number. So far, if you were dancing to the entire album, your legs would fall off. Another winner through and through, especially in the chorus line. So dancy and moving, I want to get up and dance to it as I write this.
"Grab A Hold" could've worked out well on Cyndi's first 2 CDs. Very cute, moving and dancy. Her voice is less mature here and that's why I'm reminded of her earlier cds. The chorus line is strong and powerful, rich with Cyndi's strong lungs and crystal clear vocals.
"Rain on Me" closes the album in a less dancy style but with catchy lyrics and a floating keyboard riff. Very 80's reminiscent but modern too. Cyndi's band sure knows how to arrange magic around Cyndi's voice. What a beautiful song.
About the booklet & artwork:.....well, the cd is housed in a clear jewel case with front & back inserts and comes with a booklet full of fun pics of Cyndi. They are put through a hazy filter though, so it's got that dreamy effect. But the pics are still amusing, especially the one of her in the garden in her blue gown. The booklet is made of of a 2-sided, 3-fold layout with pics and credits. There aren't any lyrics. And inside the cd tray are Cyndi's Thank Yous'.
Those are my thoughts on the album, for you all to read. I think you should go and get multiple copies of the cd for family & friends. It's a true winner and certainly worth the wait. The cd should be rated 10 stars.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Girl just having fun, June 10, 2008
Madonna did it
Kylie did it
Donna did it
Now heeeeeere's Cyndi
Dance music is hot again, mostly because of the ladies listed above, and certainly good news for those of us who spent the `80s on the dance floor.
This is the tenth studio album from the effervescent singer/songwriter who just wants to have fun, and is best enjoyed at full volume with the bass turned up, the way it was meant to be played.
The first US single is "Same Ol' Story", the track that put the [EXPLICIT LYRICS] warning on the album, but this isn't the best song in my opinion. I like "Set Your Heart" which was released as a single in Japan, beginning like the Bee Gees' "More Than a Woman", and then blending into an `80s R&B dance track perfectly suited to her vocals.
The next single is "Into the Nightlife", another instant favorite with a booming intro that will have your moneymaker shakin'. Also terrific are "Rocking Chair"; the addictive "Echo" that you'll want to hear again and again and "Grab a Hold" which is vintage Lauper.
To mix it up a little she includes the mid-tempo "Rain on Me" and "Lyfe", the latter being a little different from anything else on the album, in that the tempo is different, and it's a bit funky (an explicit word here too). "Rain on Me" is very strong lyrically, and a possible single.
"I am a robber in the dark
Singing about a broken heart
Answering whistles in the air
Waiting for someone else to care
But you can rain on me
Yea you can rain on me...."
There's absolutely no filler material on this totally fun album, which is recommended for anyone who can take it to the brink.
Amanda Richards, June 10, 2008
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