The Goonies aren't good enough anymore.

But girls were still having fun – just in more mature ways – as Cyndi Lauper showed her jazz queen side at the ritzy Black Orchid in Chicago.

Lauper sang the first eight songs of her new album, "At Last," in order, and didn't hit on even one of her classics.

If Madonna, or even Mandy Moore, played only her new stuff, the crowd would be fuming. But no one cared at Lauper's show.

Why? Cyndi Lauper can sing.

Don't worry – I'm not in the Cyndi Lauper fan club or anything, though I do have a 45 of "She Bop" from when I was 7. But she is extremely talented.

The show started with the Etta James classic "At Last," and Lauper's accompanying semi-big band was a far cry from squealing 1980s keyboards. Filling the stage were a saxophone, congos, electric bass, trumpet, trombone, grand piano, guitar, drums, flute and violin. And the musicians were dressed in style – including Lauper. A black dress and bleach-blonde hair replaced her orange streaks of years ago.

Almost immediately, the 50-year-old Lauper shared stories with the crowd in a VH1 Storytellers way, except she didn't always connect her story to a song. She dished about her Catholic upbringing (she's bitter) and President Bush (she doesn't want to hang out with him); but occasionally a story would be interesting, like her childhood visits across New York to a relative's house where they played an odd mix of Latin and Frankie Valli music. Lauper had never heard these beats and melodies before, and was forever changed by them. Her version of Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs' "Stay" brought the two styles together – and it worked. Lauper danced on tables (albeit courteously) and on the piano.

Her rendition of "Unchained Melody" was unlike any chart-making version, and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" was nothing like the Animals' original. Lauper improvised, slowed, and snaked the melodies to fit her voice.

"Hymn to Love" almost put the crowd to sleep, but the final number before the encore, "On the Sunny Side of the Street," picked them up with its swingy beat and vocals.

For the encore, the admittedly cold-stricken Lauper played Smokey Robinson's "You Really Got a Hold on Me," but not without a slip. Accompanied only by piano, she began the first verse, "I don't love you… wait a minute, I got that backwards." Starting over, she correctly sang, "I don't like you, but I love you."

I don't love Cyndi Lauper, but she certainly can sing. And on this night, she had a glow and charisma that respected the jazz greats whose huge photographs adorned the walls of the Black Orchid.

And I didn't even yell for "She Bop."