Dusty Springfield – 1969 – Dusty in Memphis (Deluxe Edition) The best British female voice of the 60’s. Martha Reeves thought Dusty was a black girl when she heard her on the radio years before this album. Dusty in Memphis is the fifth studio album by English singer Dusty Springfield.She recorded the album at American Sound Studio in Memphis with a team of musicians and producers that included Jerry Wexler, Arif Mardin, Tom Dowd, conductor Gene Orloff, backing vocalists The Sweet Inspirations, bassist Tommy Cogbill, and guitarist Reggie Young.
Dusty in Memphis may very well be one of the two or three best pop albums I’ve ever heard. The girl has got an amazing voice, a rich, sexy, smoky croon that can flit effortlessly from a seductive whisper to a sky-scraping wail. She throws herself full-on into every note she sings, bringing every lyric to its figurative knees.
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In short, Dusty’s voice is intoxicating and beautiful. Behind her are some of the finest backing musicians ever, and they weave quite the musical tapestry: It’s a mix of soulful horns, understated strings, etheral piano, and subtle, tantalizing percussion. When applied to the selected songs- a brilliant mixture of R&B and pop- the music mixes with Dusty’s incantation to create a set of dreamy, hypnotic, and addictive songs. An absolute pop masterpiece.
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If I had to pick one album that would serve as a fitting monument to Dusty Springfield’s it would have to be her classic “Dusty in Memphis”. It was a tremendous, if sadly overlooked, album when it was first released in 1969 (it managed to hit only #99 on the pop charts). It is even better now that a deluxe edition has been issued that contains 14 `bonus tracks’ that had not previously been released. Produced by Atlantic Records’ Jerry Wexler and Arif Mardin (who produced a number of Aretha Franklin’s early albums), Dusty in Memphis cemented Dusty’s reputation as having one of the most powerful, soulful voices of the 60s.
Just about every song on this deluxe edition helps cement that reputation. “Son of a Preacher Man” is probably the best known song on the original album. It is a tremendous performance that highlights Dusty’s wonderfully smoky, bluesy voice and her ability to interpret a song.
The song starts low and wistful and build to a very powerful conclusion. Dusty covers a number of songs written by the team of Gerry Coffin and Carole King. Carole King has said (according to the liner notes) that Dusty was the definitive performer of her songs.
After listening to Dusty’s covers of King’s songs, included spectacular version of “You’ve Got a Friend” it is hard to find fault with that assessment. The bonus tracks are as compelling as the original album tracks. “Willie & Laura Mae Jones” makes for a perfect follow up to “Son of a Preacher Man” both as to style and substance. Dusty even turns in an excellent performance of “Make it With You”, originally performed by Bread. Springfield extracts all the extra sugar from the original and replaces it with a version in which you can hear the yearning in Dusty’s voice.
Dusty in Memphis is a wonderful monument to a wonderful performer. There is a reason this CD has garnered a 5-star rating from every reviewer – it is nothing short of FABULOUS!
There is no 20th Century pop singer who could come close to Dusty Springfield in pure voice and sensuality of style. She set the mark. Heck, I can think of only one other singer who could make those octave leaps in Bacharach’s songs as smoothly as Dusty – Dionne Warwick – pretty heady company. That said, Dionne had the technical talent; but, only Dusty made every note sound as though it was dripping with sex. If you buy but 3 albums from the 60’s, you owe it to yourself to buy this one; Sgt. Pepper; and, Pet Sounds.
As another reviewer said “believe the hype”. We lost Dusty way too soon. Thankfully, we still have her incredible music.
In 2 words, Dusty Springfield was “the greatest”! 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.