Dusty Springfield - 'Dusty Definitely'
'From Dusty with Love'
Universal/Mercury
Both released in the UK on 1st October 2001
Catalogue numbers 538 232-2 & 538 231-2

'Definitely'

The late Dusty Springfield was unquestionably the UK's finest white soul singer throughout the 1960's with a string of hit singles and albums to her credit that most artists today can only dream of. Her love of soul music is well documented and the in-demand video of her presenting the Motown 'Ready Steady Go' show in London during the mid sixties makes essential viewing to appreciate the vocal dexterity of this great lady who along with some of the Motown artists on that tour delivered some great songs.

If there is one thing that helps make up a great song then it is a big orchestral production and that big band sound, and this CD is full of such arrangements, and it becomes quickly evident by scanning through the sleeve credits just how many great soul/R'n'B classics are covered here. The opening track 'Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone' kicks in like a steam train out of control and is just a superb slice of rhythm and blues dance magic. The opening reminded me so much of Larry Williams/Johnny Watson's 45
'A Quitter Never Wins' and finds Dusty in top gear with this much recorded song (most notably from the Temptations/Chuck Jackson). Next up finds a cover version of the Erma Franklin hit song 'A Little Piece Of My Heart' sung in exactly the same vein and measures up well against the original including some very authentic backing vocals making it extremely soulful indeed.

If you need evidence of the brilliance of the cover versions then check out track number four as Dusty takes on Jerry Butler's 'Mr Dream Merchant' and delivers a spine tingling rendition of this great song from 1969. Again, another superb string laden production complimenting a lovely vocal delivery and worthy of a place in any soul fans collection.

Additional cover versions keep coming and this time its a Motown song with Ashford & Simpson's classic number originally recorded by Rita Wright (Syreeta) and the piano work on this track is clearly lifted from Dusty's other hit 'I Close My Eyes'. Next up is an uptempo cover of the Sand Pebbles UK Track 45 'Love Power' and whilst not as smooth a production as the original it comes across very strong, but will be seen as an album track as opposed to single material.

Bacharach & David were a song writing partnership never far from Dusty's music and her rendition of their hit for Herb Alpert in 'This Girls In Love With You' is very similar indeed with that mid way piano crescendo that makes this such a great song and essential late night easy listening. The 'Second Time Around' fits nicely too in that slot.

At this point this CD changes dramatically into a jazz laden piece of magic and track eight 'I Only Wanna Laugh' had me hitting the repeat button endlessly and I was hooked on this lazy big band sound that would have had Sinatra singing her praises - WOW! check it out. Same again with Charles Aznavour's 'Who (Will Take My Place') complete with a niggling bossa nova rhythm and a prominent string arrangement not too far removed from the Nelson Riddle orchestra formulae.

This CD features four bonus tracks with 'No Stranger Am I' (remix) and the big band sound of 'Meditation' (remix) plus remixes of 'The Colour Of Your Eyes' and 'Spooky' which I am sure Sade had in mind when she recorded 'Smooth Operator' for which that song is a dead ringer for.

All in all this is a brilliant CD that features classic R & B cover versions as well as another side of Dusty Springfield that I must admit I didn't know existed.

Rating 9/10

'From Dusty With Love'

Known in the US as 'A Brand New Me' from the outset you realise that this is a Philly Soul of the highest order and although recorded in 1969 you could easily see that Dusty was well ahead of her time as a disco diva. The opening track 'Lost' is typical of those early Philly 45's a year or so before the likes of MFSB and Billy Paul brought the sound the commercial prominence from 1972 onwards. A gentle mid tempo track that you could never cover up as Duty's voice is ever so recognisable, along with the MFSB/Vince Montana production that became the TSOP trademark. The lady slots in beautifully considering Gamble & Huff's empire was very much black orientated.

In similar vein finds the next track 'Bad Case Of The Blues' which is arguably strong enough to have been a 45 in it's day and I often wonder just how the recording buying public would have reacted to such single releases on this label. 'Let Me Get In Your Way' finds her in a gentle ballad mood and whilst the song itself isn't that strong, the backing vocals on the chorus are superb, together with an immaculate house band production make up for it, and it is certainly one of those songs that gradually grows on you with each play.

If you like your TSOP then here's a track to whet your appetite with 'A Brand New Me' which after a slow start kicks into a fabulous mid paced dancer of the highest order, and is fast becoming a favourite on my play list. However, the killer cut has to be 'Silly Silly Fool Am I' a song I have playing for a few years now from a Sony Box set and is a song that could have been tailor made for Archie Bell and the Drells and is one of those Philly dance records that has instant appeal all round and has to be one of the best Philly songs I have ever heard and ranks amongst anything that Teddy Pendergrass and the likes of recorded during their career at the label. If you haven't heard this song then let me say that the CD is worth buying for this song alone.

'The Star Of My Show' follows and the tempo drops down to a mid paced tempo that has an easy to remember hook line and melody and soon had me reaching for the repeat button. If you didn't know who this was singing then I am confident that serious soul collectors would have this in their prized collections.

'Let's Talk It Over' continues in the same vein with gospel tinged backing vocals and gorgeous string arrangements and whilst it is typical Philly Soul of the late sixties sounds remarkably modern in 2001. Listen to that sax break just before the end of the song, that is so reminiscent of MFSB's instrumental break in 'Sexy'

There are three bonus tracks on this CD and the remix of 'The Richest Girl Alive' falls in same vein as the aforementioned 'Silly Silly Fool Am I' with its' easy to dance to groove in an era where you had around 2:45 to get it right. 'I Wanna Be A Free Girl' is a straight forward soul ballad very similar to her hits five years or so earlier. Whilst her visit to Memphis in 1968 proved fruitful in terms of generating a wider audience appeal, it is this album for Gamble & Huff that puts her amongst the best.

Either one of these two albums will give you hours and hours o soulful listening pleasure. Essential.

Rating 10/10