Album review

Dusty Springfield - Classics & Collectibles

All the hits (enough said, surely). Plus: mono mixes, alternative vocal takes and an unreleased "Close To You". The slim gap— you could just slide a sheet of paper through there—between Dusty's aspirations to sound like her black heroines and the inescapable whiteness of her voice is what makes it so unique and affecting. A frustrated but not tragic character, she riddles every song—the Bacharachs, the Goffin/Kings—with solid sourness and cracked emotion. "Goin' Back" is just perfect.

CHRIS ROBERTS

Rating: 5 / 10


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An encounter with Van Morrison


Consider this the last in a short series of encounters with somewhat cantankerous sorts, following accounts in this space over the couple of weeks of meetings with Lou Reed and Gordon Lightfoot, both of which have stirred some passing interest and lively comment. Today’s subject is Van Morrison...