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