Merry Christmas... Have a Nice Life

Cyndi Lauper has reinvented herself once again, penning a handful of original Christmas carols and cornball ditties with writing partner Jan Pulsford and recording them at home while her infant son Declyn slept. (The almost-year-old Decyln can be heard jabbering and gurgling on "New Year's Baby [First Lullaby]".) The antic Lauper who first revealed that "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" in 1983 is still in evidence, spiking the season with her endearing comic voice and calypso time signatures on such standouts as "Christmas Conga" and the bawdy "Minnie and Santa." But the standards "Three Ships" and "Silent Night" really shine, revealing a depth and emotion that was in evidence on Lauper's tender "Time After Time." --Jaan Uhelszki