Dusty Springfield's voice is one of the great pop instruments. Showcased here on 20 tracks from her '60s and early-'70s heyday, her sensuality and strength wrap themselves around everything from big-beat rock and roll like "I Only Want to Be With You" and "Stay Awhile" to seductive masterworks like "Son of a Preacher Man" and "The Look of Love." Very Best ends with a vulnerable reading of the Carole King/Gerry Goffin taking-stock anthem "Goin' Back"--a rarity in the States, where it appeared only briefly. It's great to hear it here. --Rickey Wright
Dusty Springfield never claimed to be a soul singer, but Dusty in Memphis effects a unique and deeply moving synthesis of her brand of stylish pop and the Southern R&B of the late '60s. Her soft tones and hushed, confessional readings make for definitive versions of everything from "Son of a Preacher Man" (a later version by Aretha Franklin is good but less thrillingly sensual than this one) to Randy Newman's ballads "I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore" and "Just One Smile" to a swirling take on "The Windmills of Your Mind." The soul obscurity "Breakfast in Bed" even gives a knowing spin to a line from an earlier Springfield classic: "You don't have to say you love me." This expanded edition features vastly improved sound and a number of bonus tracks not on the earlier CD. --Rickey Wright
