Cyndi Lauper - "Memphis Blues"
Memphis Blues is Cyndi Lauper’s eleventh album and I can report that she has finally gotten it right.
In actuality, that statement might be hyperbolic and a bit too dismissive of her long and varied career as Lauper has demonstrated convincingly that she can cover the terrain of any and all music genres. But here she demonstrates that if you have some the pipes, you can transcend an iconic ‘80s pop anthem and be taken seriously: she is more than the quirky pop star with the silly squeaky speaking voice. With Memphis Blues it seems she has found the music she was born to sing.
The term “Memphis Blues” does in fact refer to a specific style of blues: guitar based as well as deep rooted in the jug band tradition, born out of the poverty of blues artists forced to play homemade instruments. So it is somewhat surprising that Lauper didn't explore this aspect of “Memphis Blues” given her bend for stylistic experimentation and instrumentation on her previous recordings and assembled instead a heavy hitting line up of blues superstars, including Charlie Musselwhite, Allen Toussaint, B.B. King, Johnny Lang, and Ann Peebles. However these ultra fantastic blues artists prove that when you mix New York, Mississippi, New Orleans and North Dakota and toss it with a little Memphis, you get pure magic. This record definitely has the power to transport the listener to Beale Street.
Lauper’s song choice for this record is pure genius. The opening number ‘Just Your Fool’ sets a promising tone with a wonderful interplay that is at times harmonious and at others a battle between Musselwhite's fantastic harmonica work and Lauper's distinctive vocals. Other highlights include Toussaint's perfect blues piano on Lauper’s bawdy version of ‘Early in the Morning’ and her duet with a true Memphis Blues legend (Ann Peebles) on ‘Rollin' and Tumblin’’. The down and dirtiness of this track is only bested by Peebles’ strong and throaty deep alto serving as the perfect foil for Lauper's quirky trill. The best tracks are when Lauper sticks with the traditional guitar based Memphis Blues' sound on songs like ‘How Blue Can You Get’ and ‘Crossroads’, which is performed with Johnny Lang. This is despite the fact that ‘Crossroads’ could use a moratorium on covers. The truth is the vocal performances on this record range from sensual to earthy to down right nasty to tongue and check silly … and in every circumstance they work.
In the end you can call this music delta blues or southern soul or boogie woogie. You may even find some elements of swamp pop thrown in for good measure. Cyndi Lauper called it Memphis Blues and it is her best work to date. It is an authentic sounding blues record that leaves me hoping that she parks it in this genre for a little while longer bringing us her take on more classic blues numbers.
