Faithful [Orange Smoke Vinyl] [Barnes & Noble Exclusive] in Bloomington, MN

Dusty Springfield
intended to follow 1970's
Gamble
/
Huff
-produced
A Brand New Me
with an album produced by
Jeff Barry
, but this, her planned third record for
Atlantic
, wound up shelved in 1971. Why it was abandoned is unclear. Neither of the singles released from the sessions -- August's "Haunted"/"Nothing Is Forever, November's "I Believe in You"/"Someone Who Cares" -- dented the charts, a situation that understandably discouraged
Dusty
, who then had her manager release her from
. When she left the label, she left this
Barry
-produced record behind. Thought to be lost in a warehouse fire in 1978, tracks started to surface as
Rhino
assembled deluxe reissues of
Dusty in Memphis
and
, but the entire album didn't appear until
Real Gone
constructed
Faithful
in 2015. Produced by
Jim Pierson
and annotated by
Joe Marchese
, this release of
certainly does have the feel of a lost classic, a record that exists on a plane between the gritty Southern soul of
and the smooth, assured
(known as
From Dusty with Love
in the U.K.), tempered with a heavy dose of professional studio craft from
and his crew of regular songwriters. Among these composers are
Bobby Bloom
-- he'd later have a hit with "Montego Bay" -- and
Alex Harvey
, who wrote hits for
Kenny Rogers & the First Edition
, but
Springfield
also cherry-picked
David Gates
' "Make It with You" and
Carole King
's "You've Got a Friend," giving them a lush, soulful sheen. Most of
simmers on this level, although the bluesy funk of "Natchez Trace" comes as a surprise, as does the spooky strut of "Haunted." This is just enough variety to give spice and momentum to
's immaculate constructions, but even these productions are soulful, not stiff: he gets the band cooking, letting them lay a slyly seductive bed for
, who remains at the peak showcased on her two previous
records. If
isn't as perfect as
, it's because few records are. If
is as good as
-- and it very nearly is -- it's a testament that sometimes the record business is unfair, even to some of its brightest stars. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine