Fridae

Ms Scary must confess to uncomfortably averting her eyes during the telecast of the American Music Awards when Ms Cyndi Lauper performed "Time After Time" while plucking away at her stringed dulcimer like a deranged dame and sitting in a most un-maidenly manner with legs wide apart.

In spite of that, Ms Scary must admit that she has been an ardent admirer of the 53-year old singer-songwriter who has spent much of the past twenty-five years as an unwavering advocate for the GLBT community. More recently, Ms Lauper appeared in PFLAG's campaign with her lesbian sister and joined the Honorary Board of the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

Proving that she's still unusual and that there's life after fluorescent hair dyes, the Day-Glo icon has decided to revisit and reinterpret her greatest hits catalogue (most notably from her 80s heydays) by going acoustic in her latest release and roping in an impressive gallery of guest artistes.

In The Body Acoustic, most of Ms Lauper's former hits have been given a musical makeover: "Money Changes Everything" (with Adam Lazzara) is turned into a honky-tonk tune; "All Through The Night" (with Shaggy) is infused with raggae rapping; "She Bop" is transformed into a high-noon ballad complete with melancholic whistling; and Ms Lauper's most famous hit is reworked by Japanese duo Puffy Ami Yumi into a hyper-ska session which shows that girls still just wanna have fun.

Fans of the Grammy winner's signature ballads will, however, be glad to know that they can still sway weepily to songs such as "True Colors" (now more morose with a Yo-Yo Ma type prelude), "Above The Clouds" (a new song showcasing Ms Lauper's soaring vocals) as well as "Water's Edge" and the lead single "Time After Time" (both featuring Canadian chanteuse Ms Sarah McLachlan).

With The Body Acoustic, Ms Lauper not only breathes new life into old songs - she also showcases a set of impressive pipes which has grown less shrill, more raspy and far more nuanced. In doing so, she shows today's pop pretenders (Ms Gwen Stefani are you taking notes?) why while they may mimic her singing style, they will never sound as good as the original.

Scary's Selected Spins: "Time After Time," "She Bop," "Above The Clouds," "Money Changes Everything," "Shine," "True Colors," and "Water's Edge."