The Rolling Stone 500 greatest albums of all time: #83 Dusty Springfield-Dusty In Memphis (1969)

#83 Dusty Springfield-Dusty In Memphis

Dusty Springfield’s voice was one of the most mesmerizing voices in the history of soul music.  She belongs with some of the greatest vocalists of all time. It amazes me that the English woman sounds just as great as any motown on soul legend. “Son Of A Preacher Man” is one of the greatest songs of all time. I mean how can you not love it. Her blend of soul/country/gospel sound is just amazing. 

Fun fact about this album none of her vocals were recorded in Memphis since she was so intimidated to sing in the same building as her idols Arthera Franklin and Otis Redding. Her vocals were overdubbed from sessions she did in NYC. 

“Just A Little Lovin” opens up the album. The song starts with an orchestral introduction and gives the song some theoretical vibe.  I could see Tarentino  using it in one of his movies. Springfield's voice sounds big and hearty on the track. “So Much Love” could be from a great Motown record. You can hear how much american soul/R&B was a big influence on her. Her backing vocals were provided by the Sweet Inspirations who were led by Cissy Houston who is the mother of Whitney Houston. They add so much to all the songs on this record. “Son Of A Preacher Man” is a perfect song, just another great performance from dusty. Her backing band has this swirling groove that adds to the lushness of her voice. And those great backing vocals sound so angelic. If you don’t love this song there’s no hope for you.”I Don’t Want to Hear It Anymore” continues those great grooves from her band. As so does Dusty’s very subdued vocals which adds to the vibe of the track. This mid tempo sign is a nice change of pace for the album. “Don’t Forget About Me” starts as another mid tempo slow burner but soon picks up the pace as a funky soul tinged jam. The Sweet Inspirations are front and center on this track. “Breakfast In Bed” is one of the more sultry songs on the record; it has that funky/soul groove that her backing band did so well. Her voice goes from sultry to big from hook to hook. “Just One Smile” is a simple sweet love ballad done in that Dusty Springfield style. “The Windmills Of Your Mind” has a very sultry groove but has a somewhat erieness from  her backing band. The orchestration on the track gives off such a big sound. “In The Land Of Make Believe” is a Burt Bacherach/Hal David penned song that gives off all the big band vibes that the duo is known for. “No Easy Way Down” is another slowburner of a track that has lush vocals and orchestration that both sound big. “I Can’t Make It On My Own” closes the album. It is another great vocal performance from Dusty backed by that gorgeous instrumentation. This is a perfect album to put on to chill out on a Sunday afternoon. Put this on your bucket lists to check out one of our great vocalists who I feel is underrated. I'm giving this soulful masterpiece 5 out of 5 stars