Dusty Springfield - Dusty

Well, it's Dusty Springfield - what's to say? I've been intending to pick up some kind of best-of for a little while now, and they're not difficult to track down cheaply, especially with the new stage show (which I still have some hopes of motivating myself to get to, money again being the sticking point) and all. So of course I've been enjoying listening to this, though I could wish that it had been chronologically tracklisted, instead of jumping around as it does; in particular, such an ordering would've made it easier for me to avoid the synth/disco-era stuff that's scattered throughout. The Dusty I like is the soulful, insightful interpreter of classic pop tunes who has that knack of perfectly conveying emotion and meaning, make you feel as if she feels every nuance of what she's singing about - the Bacharach and David numbers are the ones with which I'm most familiar ("I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself", "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa", "The Look Of Love", etc...and I didn't know that "Wishin' And Hopin'" was one of theirs), but there are so many others collected here (the Carole King-penned "Goin' Back" is one highlight among many) and no doubt elsewhere in her back catalogue. Only one song from Dusty in Memphis - "Son Of A Preacher Man", of course - which seems to be the one to get, both by reputation and in terms of the side of her music that I favour ("Breakfast In Bed", which isn't included on this set, is probably my favourite of the Dusty songs I've heard).