Cindy Lauper Live At Last20046.5

Cyndi Lauper may talk like Edith Bunker (or any number of other queens from Queens), but she sure doesn't sing like her. Indeed, two decades after she burst on the pop scene with her She's So Unusual album, Lauper's voice is arguably stronger than ever--an opinion borne out in Live... At Last, a 16-song, 112-minute concert recorded in New York in March, 2004 (the title references both her '03 CD of the same name and the fact that this is her first concert video since 1987's Cyndi Lauper in Paris). Unlike, say, such understated chanteuses as Norah Jones and Diana Krall, Lauper likes to wail, and if the result is occasionally somewhat over the top, it still makes for powerful performances of such familiar material as "I Drove All Night," "All Through the Night," and her biggest hits, "Time After Time" and the salsa-flavored "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." Indeed, Lauper is at her best when she simply rocks (the punkish "It's Hard to Be Me" is another highlight). Far less successful are the mannered, ponderous, and/or melodramatic arrangements of pop standards like "Walk On By," "If You Go Away," and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," while the French café vibe on "She Bop" is cute but insubstantial. The visuals (shot in high definition and viewed in widescreen) and audio are excellent, while bonus features include Lauper's guided tour of Queens.