Cyndi Lauper Merry Christmas... Have A Nice Life CD

Cyndi Lauper closed out her Epic Records contract with this holiday album, which consists mostly of original compositions. Lauper seeks the Christmas spirit in some snowless locales, giving a Cajun sound to "Early Christmas Morning" and an appropriately tropical feel to "Christmas Conga." She favors folkie arrangements and is heard playing dulcimer, recorder, and ukulele, among other instruments, which lend a homemade feel to the tracks. Merry Christmas...Have a Nice Life! is an unusual but ultimately winning collection, rendered with Lauper' s typical cockeyed conviction. ~ William Ruhlmann

Engineers include: William Wittman, Mark Saunders, Peter Wood

Personnel: Cyndi Lauper (vocals, guitar, banjo, dulcimer, ukulele, whistle, recorder, omnichord, drums); William Wittman (electric guitar, 12-string guitar, organ, omnichord, bass guitar, drums, background vocals); David Schnaufer (dulcimer, music box); Jan Pulsford (harp, organ, keyboards, synthesizer, loops); Rob Hyman (accordion, organ, synthesizer, drum machine, background vocals); Jim Hynes (trumpet); Tom Malone (trombone); Inquisitors, Catherine Russell (background vocals); Declyn Wallace Lauper Thornton, Chatterton Elementary School Choir.

Personnel: Cyndi Lauper (vocals, guitar, banjo, dulcimer, omnichord, ukelele, tin whistle, recorder, drums, taps); Claudia Greenspan (choir conductor); William Wittman (guitar, 12-string guitar, omnichord, organ, bass, drums, background vocals); David Schnaufer (dulcimer, Tennessee music box); Jan Pulsford (harp, organ, synthesizers, loops); Rob Hyman (accordion, organ, melodica, synthesizers, drum programming, background vocals); Jim Hynes (trumpet); Tom Malone (trombone); The Inquisitors, Catherine Russell, the Chatterton Elementary School Choir (background vocals).

Producers include: Cyndi Lauper, Jan Pulsford, William Wittman, Mark Saunders, Junior Vasquez.

Spin (1/99, p.117) - "...a fine reminder that she's always been the only torch-popper qualified to hold Peggy Lee's wreath..."