By Ken Paulson
After a wait of 44 years, Dusty Springfield’s third album for Atlantic Records is finally available.
That’s actually pretty extraordinary. She was one of the premier song stylists of her era and was elected to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, the year she passed away. And now we have a new album set for release on April 28.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s not her finest work. There are a lot of reasons for shelving an album, and underwhelming content is often a factor.
She was teamed with pop producer and songwriter Jeff Barry, hot off his work with the Monkees and the Archies.
Dusty generally had impeccable taste in song selection, but Faithful features ten songs written by Barry and his staff of writers , including Bobby “Montego Bay” Bloom. I’m sure that’s how you built an Archies album, but Dusty deserved more distinctive material.
That said, there are some gems here. “All the King’s Horses” is a hook-laden slice of soulful pop that should have been a single, while “Natchez Trace” is an ambitious rocker that brings Bonnie Bramlett to mind.
Two classy covers – Bread’s “Make It With You” and Carole King’s “You’ve Got A Friend” – outstrip the album’s original material.
Faithful was never going to be Dusty in Memphis, but this release is a gift to Dusty Springfield fans everywhere and a valuable addition to her recorded legacy.