By Robyn Collins
Cyndi Lauper called on some of the biggest names in country music when she decided she wanted to record an album of country standards.
“Vince Gill, you gotta hate him,” she joked at a recent press event. He’s “Vince Gill, you gotta hate him. He’s kind of perfect. He’s the sweetest fellow, and he actually is a shredder on the guitar; not many people realize what an extraordinary guitar player he is,” she told The Boot. He has a voice like butter, and he writes, and he has a great vibe. “I asked him to come in and help me lay down [‘You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly’] for Detour because I knew he would have that cowboy swing thing … He made that track come alive.”
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Inviting Emmylou Harris to join her on the title track of the album, led to a dinner invitation at Harris’ house and cemented a friendship. “I kind of knew that she was right for that, and it would be fun,” Lauper said. “If she ever puts that band together, where women go on a bus and travel, I’m in.”
As much as she enjoyed all the collaborations, Lauper said working with Willie Nelson on “Night Life” was one of the highlights of her career. “I tried to be professional, but you know when you’re overwhelmed — when he came in, I almost cried,” Lauper told EW.
And with an out-of-nowhere text to Jewel, Lauper secured herself a yodeler on “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart.”
“It’s got to be one of my favorite parts of the whole album,” Lauper claims.
Detour is set for release on May 6; On May 9, Lauper will kick off a tour in support of the record at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
