She's So Unusual, Cyndi Lauper

It's week two of Wymmyn Week!

She's So Unusual, Cyndi Lauper, 1983, :39

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Familiar with the radio hits, of course, but having never given this album a full listen, I decided to dive in for the sake of women's week.  It's a very '80s album in its sound, but the feelings and confidence on display here are timeless.  Normally I'm not a fan of such synth-heavy stuff (not to mention helium-infused voices), but Lauper's energy sets her apart, and "Time After Time" is a damn masterpiece.  Favorite tracks are tracks 2-5: "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," "She Bop," "Time After Time," and the Prince cover "When You Were Mine."

Sports, Huey Lewis & the News

Currently doing one album for each year, 1960-2020. Today: 1983.

Sports, Huey Lewis & the News, 1983, :37

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The best bar band in the world (until the Hold Steady showed up)!  Tight power pop with funny, self-aware lyrics.  This is another one I know from the hits but not much else.  Although those probably are the best songs on the album, I'd say that once again I was missing out by not digging further into the band.  These guys epitomize the '80s, but in a unique way; they aren't all glamor and synth and big shoulders.  They're taking an older formula and giving it a slick pop '80s veneer.  After all these years, the muscle of the classic rock (the horns! the guitar!) beneath the clear, crisp sound is still what gives these songs power.  He's an American Elvis Costello!  Favorite tracks: "The Heart of Rock And Roll," "I Want a New Drug," "If This is It," "Walking on a Thin Line."