Dusty In Memphis (Deluxe Edition)

iTunes Review

1960’s British pop sensation Dusty Springfield signed to Atlantic Records in 1968 and was immediately shipped to Memphis to record with Aretha Franklin’s production team — Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin — and the ‘Memphis Cats’ session musicians who previously had backed Wilson Pickett and Elvis Presley. The resulting album, Dusty in Memphis has become an undisputed classic of eclectic styles — R&B (“Son of a Preacher Man”), Gerry Goffin and Carole King Brill Building Pop (“No Easy Way Down,” “Don’t Forget About Me”), sophisticated adult-contemporary from Burt Bacharach and Hal David (“In the Land of Make Believe”) and two from then emerging song stylist Randy Newman (“I Don’t Want to Hear It Anymore,” “Just One Smile”) — all melted into a cohesive whole by a singer who could sing anything and make it soul music. Though not a commercial smash at the time of its release in 1969, the album has gone on to become a favorite among critics and musicians. Its consistent showings on essential album lists led to expanded versions that have added 14 tracks to the album’s original 11, including covers of Bread’s “Make It With You” and Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend” that further illustrate Springfield’s impeccable interpretive powers.