Detour

by Cyndi Lauper

Overview

A spiritual sequel of sorts to Memphis Blues, Detour finds Cyndi Lauper swapping out blues for country & western. The "western" part of the equation is crucial to Detour, a record equally enamored of cowboy camp as it is of Music City craft and corn. Such a wide purview is testament to Lauper's taste-savvy show biz sensibilities. The slow-burning-torch set pieces of "End of the World" and "I Fall to Pieces" have their charms -- they offer ample evidence of Lauper's nuance and control, elements that are often underrated -- but when paired with the ferocious, mincing wink of "You're the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly," "Cowboy Sweetheart," and "Detour," the spell diminishes. Despite this, the album has its charms. Dolly Parton's "Hard Candy Christmas" -- a fine, faithful rendition that closes out the record on a sweet note -- and the crisp, digital, modern sheen of the opener "Funnel of Love," don't quite suit the tone of the record, but they're endearing on their own. Such sudden shifts in tone might work better on-stage than they do on record, and with its cavalcade of guest stars, Detour often does play a bit like a stage revue, for better or worse. After all, much of Lauper's charm lies in her innate theatricality, and when she's paired with someone who shares her humor -- Emmylou Harris on "Detour" and, especially, Vince Gill on "You're the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly" -- there's a crackling vitality that nevertheless winds up diluting the diva showstoppers, something that could possibly be finessed on-stage but sounds like sharp turns on record. Nevertheless, on a track-by-track level, Detour has few stumbles, and if it's taken as a collection of performances and not a coherent record, it's fun. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/07/2017
Label:	Imports
UPC:	9397601008308

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Cyndi Lauper   Primary Artist
Kenny Greenberg   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Jimmie Lee Sloas   Bass
Jewel   Vocals,Featured Artist
Willie Nelson   Vocals,Featured Artist,Guitar (Acoustic)
Dan Dugmore   Guitar,Guitar (Steel)
Alison Krauss   Vocals,Featured Artist
Aubrey Haynie   Fiddle,Mandolin
Elaine Caswell   Vocals (Background)
Emmylou Harris   Vocals,Featured Artist
Tom Bukovac   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Greg Morrow   Drums
Chad Cromwell   Drums
Steve Nathan   Piano,Wurlitzer,Synthesizer
Vince Gill   Vocals,Featured Artist,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Perry Coleman   Vocals (Background)
Kim Keyes   Vocals (Background)
Bryan Sutton   Guitar (Acoustic)
Willie Weeks   Bass
Jeff Taylor   Accordion,Accordion
Tony Brown   Piano
Neal Coomer   Vocals (Background)
Kenny Greenburg   Guitar (Electric)

Technical Credits

Ernie Freeman   Arranger
David Thoener   Mixing,Engineer
Willie Nelson   Composer
Arthur Kent   Composer
Alan Block   Composer
Harlan Howard   Composer
Sylvia Dee   Composer
Patsy Montana   Composer
Paul Buskirk   Composer
Paul Westmoreland   Composer
Kent Westberry   Composer
L.E. White   Composer
Cyndi Lauper   Producer,Photography,Art Direction
Carol Hall   Composer
Don Hecht   Composer
Charlie McCoy   Composer
Walt Breeland   Composer
Lola Jean Dillon   Composer
Charles McCoy   Composer
Ryan Smith   Mastering
Marty Robbins   Composer
Shawn Pelton   Engineer
Hank Cochran   Composer
William Wittman   Mixing,Engineer
Brian O'Connor   Cover Photo
Seth Morton   Assistant Engineer
Tony Brown   Producer
Chapman Baehler   Photography
Rick Wilkins   Arranger
Seymour Stein   Executive Producer
Lisa Glines   Art Direction
Bob Montgomery   Composer
Amy Garges   Production Assistant
Lisa Barbaris   Executive Producer
Brandon Schexnayder   Assistant Engineer
Mike Stankiewicz   Assistant Engineer
Paul Burskirk   Composer
David Thornton   Concept