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Dusty Springfield – Faithful (2015) review

April 14, 2015

Dusty Springfield – Faithful (2015) review

Dusty Springfield “Faithful” (Real Gone Music, 2015)
The tracks on this collection have seen light on Rhino releases, but this is the first time 12 of them are being presented as the album they were intended to yield. In 1971 Dusty Springfield teamed up with songwriter/producer Jeff Barry and completed sessions that were meant to make up her third album for Atlantic, following Dusty in Memphis and A Brand New Me. Four of the songs were issued at the time, via two 45s that didn’t do much chart-wise, but the album idea got dropped and Dusty moved on to making records for other labels. 
The feel of the songs (there are 13, including one track that’s in addition to the dozen that were meant to make up the ill-fated long player) is about what you’d expect of Dusty from this era: it’s a sultry soul-pop hybrid that creates dreamy, heartfelt ballads sung by one of the more evocative voices ever captured on tape. Barry, who produced the sessions, co-wrote three of the songs. Other writers include Carole King (You’ve Got a Friend), David Gates (“Make it with You), and Alex Harvey (“Someone Who Cares’). Neil Goldberg wrote or co-wrote four of the selections. 
This is an album you enjoy more for its overall essence than for individual songs. Anyone who appreciates Dusty’s singing, particularly from this period, will be pleased to hear her reel off these cuts. There’s nothing here that I would include on an 80-minute Best of Dusty disc, but I could play Faithful any time and enjoy it, plus I appreciate being able to hear it while thinking in terms of it being an album that was meant to appear in ’71. The booklet to Real Gone’s release includes quality photos of Dusty, and informative liners by Joe Marchese.
Review made by Brian Greene/2015
© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2015
One Comment
  1. Tore Solli says:

    Well, you say it best yerself; “There’s nothing here that I would include on an 80-minute Best of Dusty disc”. That`s the problem with this album; no stand out tracks, no hits. I fully understand why this one was shelved. It has a smooth laidback feel, like “Dusty in Memphis” had a laid back feel, and which saves the album for me. There are two tracks that drag down the impression, Natchez Trace and All The Kings Horses. The album is very Adult Contemporary sounding. No music for heavy metal loving kids, and of course, all for the good of it. It fits in with the other albums Dusty recorded about this time, like See All Her Faces. I had to get used to the track “I`ll Be Faithful” because it was so similar to CCR`s Who`ll Stop The Rain.

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