Search - Dusty Springfield :: Dusty in Memphis

Sublime pop music

C. Heinrich | Oyster Bay, NY USA | 01/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I rarely use the word "sublime" to describe anything, but it seems a perfect word for this album. In light of today's top 40 radio (which I'm sure leaves so much to be desired), it sounds insulting to label this album as pop music. But knowing that pop culture has the capability of being creative, meaningful, and even powerful (it really hasn't been since Madonna tried to buy it), this album has to be one of the absolute pinnacles of popular music. The songs on this album are fantastic, and Dusty Springfield had one of the greatest voices to ever grace American pop music. Her voice is so soft and mellow, yet can grab and just galvanize you. She knows exactly when and how to emote, something today's pop singers seem completely clueless about. So warm and loving--wow. When she sings "I've got so much love", well, heck, you can feel it. But I don't want to overemphasize Dusty, though. The arrangements and song selection on this record are as important as Dusty's gorgeous voice. It's really amazing that this stuff passed as mainstream pop music; it beats the pants off of anything ever put out by Celine, Whitney, etc. etc. etc. This is the kind of record they DREAM of having their names on (and always miss it by a huge longshot). Did we really have to drop horns and real instruments in order to make songs consumable to the general public nowadays??? It's so sad! But I digress...Don't even think of buying anything less than the "Deluxe Edition" of this album!! A lot of re-releases these days include bonus tracks, but the bonus tracks here are not to be taken lightly. It must have been a tough job to select the tracks for the original release (imagine having to throw away incredible tracks like "Wille & Laura Mae Jones" and the original recording of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend"!! OMG). If I had to pick a few weak tracks to throw out, though, I could have only really picked "Cherished" and "All The King's Horses". These are certainly not bad songs, they just don't stack up to the other 23 (!) songs. If I could only say one great thing about this record (I can say a lot), it would be that this album showcases "Son-of-a-Preacher Man"--which is undoubtedly one of the greatest songs ever recorded. The buildup to this song is so tremendous, and the controlled release is just glorious. But that's really how this whole album works.For once--BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!"

Dusty Springfield's masterpiece.

bluemamma | San Luis Obispo, CA USA | 07/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was 11 years old when the British Invasion brought Dusty Springfield a string of pop hits, and I thought she was just about the coolest thing on earth. I bought every one of her singles. But by the time this album came out in 1969, I was a teenager and thought I'd outgrown her music along with go-go boots and white lipstick. I wasn't even listening to Top 40 radio anymore by that time (preferring "underground" stations that played Joplin and Hendrix), so I didn't hear "Son of a Preacher Man" until it turned up on the oldies stations a couple of decades later.But this album hung on. I kept hearing musicians I had a lot of respect for cite it as one of the masterpieces of the 60s, and thought I must be hearing wrong. Dusty Springfield? The girl with the big hair and inch-thick eyeliner?Yeah. Dusty Springfield. I don't know if there's anybody left who still thinks of her as a lightweight pop singer, but if there is, give them this album. Among the 11 tracks that make up the original album are songs with some of the deepest, most soulful singing you've ever heard this side of Aretha Franklin. (Dusty's version of "Son of a Preacher Man" is even BETTER than Aretha's!) Not just "Preacher Man," but "So Much Love," "Don't Forget About Me," "No Easy Way Down" and "I Can't Make It Alone" are just pure, classic Memphis soul. And even when she takes on a song that couldn't really be described as "soul" like Randy Newman's moving ballad, "I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore," or the sly and sexy "Breakfast In Bed" she brings a soulfulness to them that they wouldn't have if anyone else did them. Even "Windmills of Your Mind" ? a song that every other singer I've ever heard has managed to make both bland and pretentious ? is lovely when Dusty sings it.And that's just the original album. The Deluxe edition added 13 bonus tracks. Most bonus tracks are just some junk tacked on to make you believe you're getting more for your money. These are every bit as good as the original album. I would have cut "Cherished" ? not really a terrible song, but not quite up to Springfield standards. But everything else is fabulous. "That Old Sweet Roll" (yes, the Blood, Sweat and Tears song) and "Goodbye" are especially good. And "Natchez Trace" was a revelation. Who knew Dusty Springfield could rock? I'm just sorry it took me so long to find this album."

Stone Sexy

bluemamma | 07/01/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I cannot praise either this album or Dusty Springfield enough. Listening to the first track alone, "Just A Little Lovin'" is enough to tell you that this woman knows and expresses everything there is to know about love. What's more, she does it with sublime subtlety: a wink and a sly smile as opposed to a modern so-called "Diva" like Whitney Houston, who'd bash you over the head. True style as opposed to gaudy excess. There's not a bad song on the album, and several true classics. But listen to it several times before you form a judgement: that subtlety needs time to work its magic and insinuate itself into your soul. I always thought "Windmills of Your Mind" was dreary 60's muzak until I heard her masterly epic version. And no matter how many times I hear it, chills go up my spine when she sings the words, "He don't really love her" in Randy Newman's "I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore". Hell, nobody can sing the word "baby" and express as many emotions through it as Dusty did. She is sorely missed!"