A Night To Remember (studio album) by Cyndi Lauper

After Lauper's perhaps slightly disappointing second album, she is back here in very good shape with a series of really great pop-rock songs, delivered in a convincing and confident style. Like always with Lauper there is a fine variation in instrumentation and style.
Many of the songs were written by the songwriting couple Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg; four of them in collaboration with Lauper. This is almost a guarantee of a melodic and catchy result, which is certainly the case here. This along with Lauper's strong vocals, success should have been almost assured. Strangely enough, the album was not the same great success as its predecessors, which is quite undeserved. Personally, I believe that the album must be considered one of her very best, which is saying no small thing.

"I Drove All Night" was the album's biggest single success with a 10th place on the singles charts. A nice track very much in the style of what was on the debut album. "Primitive" is very different and slightly funky and a bit in Michael Jackson style. "My First Night Without You" was another single and a nice ballad that sounds like a sure hit. However, it was only a really big success in a few countries in South America. "Like a Cat" is a light pop song; quite nice without being a really great song. A great song, on the other hand, is "Heading West", which has a nice melody with a fine build-up; one of the four Lauper/Kelly/Steinberg collaborations.

The title track "A Night to Remember" was written by Lauper in collaboration with Dusty Micale and Franke Previte. Another great number, a bit in the style of Bruce Springsteen. "Unconditional Love" is a nice pop ballad that reminds me a little of The Bangles' "Eternal Flame" and Susannah Hoff actually recorded the song for her first solo album in 1991; also a Lauper/Kelly/Steinberg collaboration. Completely different is "Insecure", which is quite hard rocking, with lovely raw, Lauper vocals; an obvious dance number. "Dancing with a Stranger" is also a dance number; more on the funky end.

The last "big" track is "I Don't Want to Be Your Friend", another great melodic soulful ballad, written by Diane Warren. "Kindred Spirit" is a short and unpretentious lo-fi country recording and an ending to a great album.

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An uneven record. Some stinkers but some great songs. Worth a listen.