Detour

Whether Lauper will replicate the commercial success of “Tuskegee” is doubtful, but this is Cyndi Lauper we’re talking about, so only a fool would bet against it.

Detour is a great showcase for Lauper's vocal range and prowess, but the freak factor is dishearteningly low. [No. 131, p.59]

With Nashville stalwart Tony Brown co-producing, she flexes both empathy and interpretive might. [Jun 2016, p.75]

The material is there, as is the voice, but too often the two become muddled despite her best efforts to the contrary. If nothing else, Detour is a enjoyable glimpse into a career path untaken.

Not every guest spot works--Lauper's idiosyncrasies don't quite mesh with Alison Krauss's pristine bluegrass harmonies on Dolly Parton's "Hard Candy Christmas." But Lauper and Willie Nelson are simpatico originals on "Night Life," and "You're the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly," with Vince Gill playing Conway to her Loretta, is Cyndi's kind of shtick.

On a track-by-track level, Detour has a few stumbles--the biggest is "Night Life," and that's due to the gravelly growl of Willie Nelson, not Lauper--and if it's taken as a collection of performances and not a coherent record, it's fun.

None of the songs on Detour are without at least some merit, though a few are without any discernible marketplace value, save niche kiosks along I-40 or the occasional road tripper’s Spotify.

Nothing here hasn’t been done many times before, and much better, by either the original artists (do we need a shockingly feeble-voiced Willie Nelson dueting with Lauper on his “Night Life”?) or others closer to the country aesthetic.

Her history and significance is rooted in rebellion--but that’s easy to overlook with a record this diluted.