Search - Dusty Springfield :: Living Without Your Love

Dusty's 2nd attempt at hitting the U.S. charts...

S. Sittig | Washington, D.C. | 05/03/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Nobody can deny that Dusty Springfield was perhaps one of the most gifted female pop vocalists of the later half of the 20th century. Her voice, unique, yet familiar, haunting, yet comforting. In the 60s she seemed to be the perfect amalgam of a decade rife with contradictions. She was the "it" girl for the British Mod scene successfully translating the American R&B and Motown sounds for her British compatriots, and yet also incredibly comfortable working with mature American Brill Building composers like Burt Bacharach and Carole King.But once the 60s were over, and she moved to California, Dusty had trouble finding herself. After a 4 year hiatus ('74-'78) and a failed (at least commercially) comeback with IT BEGINS AGAIN in '78 (a much superior album than this one, by the way), Dusty tried once more to hit the charts with this '79 follow-up.I wish I could say this was a fantastic album, in the tradition of Dusty's work on DUSTY IN MEMPHIS, but it is not. The fault lies mainly with the material and somewhat with the production.But as always, Dusty's voice and interpretation is definitely not to blame for this miss. She sounds perfectly wonderful on cuts like "I'm Coming Home Again" (the most hearfelt performance), "I Just Fall In Love Again" (a big hit for Anne Murray),the title track (exquisitely phrased) and the Bee Gees penned "Save Me, Save Me". But a lot of the album is bogged down in soggy production and sappy material, that even Dusty's reknown vocal abilities are not able to bring up to a higher standard. Her cover of Smokey Robinson's "You Really Got A Hold On Me", is beautifully sung, but the tempo drags, sapping it of all feeling. In "You Can Do It" and "Be Somebody" you can practically hear Dusty trying to lift up the maudlin material with her voice. "Get Yourself To Love" has a stunning opening, with just Dusty and a piano, but it quickly veers off course when the song takes a turn that is just a bit too MOR. Where Dusty previously had succeeded in making sappy work sublime, here she fails, mostly due to a double whammy of mediocre material and uninspired production. It's not a terrible album by any means, but it just isn't what one expects from someone as talented as Dusty Springfield.Luckily, the 80s (and the Pet Shop Boys) would bring a wonderful and long overdue phoenix-like resurgence for the White Queen of Soul.This album is strictly for Dusty fans and completists. I wouldn't recommend it for someone just entering the fantastic yet complex world of Dusty Springfield. Still, I'm glad it's finally seeing the light of day on CD."

Better than you remember it to be : a good album

S. Sittig | 12/22/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

""It Begins Again (IBA)" and "Living Without Your Love (LWYL) marked Dusty's comeback in the late 70s on the United Artiste label in America. In my opinion, LWYL is the better album. The material is more consistent, less patchy. After IBA's lukewarm reception, Dusty wanted to move on to a more lightweight R & B sound for her follow up. Dusty's vocal performances - her phrasing in particular - on the soft soul ballads "Be Somebody", "You Can Do It", "Closet Man", "Get Yourself To Love", "I Just Fall In Love Again", "Dream On" and "I'm Coming Home Again" are magical and as good as some of the best things she has ever done, only that producer David Wolfert's bland production values didn't quite do justice to or showcase it to its best advantage. The two disco flavoured tracks (especially "Save Me, Save Me") are also fine for music of its kind. Only on "You Really Got A Hold On Me" does Wolfert really cramp Dusty's style with a horribly mechanical and leaden production, rendering it among the least inspired songs she has cut in her entire career. So, to Dusty fans who aren't familiar with LWYL and are discouraged by memories of negative reviews (particularly in the UK where fans are used to a stronger and more distinctive Dusty), I'd say please buy yourself a copy and make up your own mind. There are some wonderful things in there. It may not be among Dusty's best work but it's to my mind still of great enduring quality."

Good album

Jake Z | Canada | 08/30/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This was Dusty Springfield's second attempt at crossing over into the US. Unfortunately it was met with mediocre success. Vocally she is at no fault on this CD, sounding wonderful as usual with her golden voice. The fault lies a bit with the production and song selection. Highlights include the title track, "Save Me, Save Me", "I'm Coming Home Again" and "I Just Fall In Love Again". It's not as bad as everyone remembers, it might not have been her most successful but it still warrents a listen."