Dusty In Memphis may now be regarded as one of the all-time classic soul albums, but Springfield herself hated it at the time and the public didn't take to it hugely either on its release.
Yet, as examples of blue-eyed soul albums go, Dusty In Memphis is the one which is mentioned time and time again by connoisseurs and critics.
The album which Candie Payne's debut album, I Wish I Could Have Loved You More, is constantly getting compared to had an interesting genesis. When Springfield met up with veteran producer Jerry Wexler and his band of southern soul players who'd previously worked on records for Aretha Franklin and other soul greats, it could have gone either way.
At the time, Springfield was in danger of finding herself marooned on the cabaret circuit, and this recording was a chance to open a few new doors for her. Yet, for all that, she didn't really take to the sparse southern soul sound which Wexler wanted her to pursue for the album. "I wanted to fill every space," she remembered years later. "I didn't understand that the sparseness gave it an atmosphere."
Wexler gave her about 80 songs to consider and Springfield agonised over the selections, rejecting most of them in the process. When it came to the actual recording, she had a really hard time in the studio in Memphis, so much so that the takes you hear on the album were actually recorded in New York. Dusty In New York would probably not have had the same ring to it.
Against all the odds, though, the album was finished. These days, the sound of Springfield singing the songs of Randy Newman, Goffin/King and Bacharach/David still hit the spot. Sounding more seductive, playful and accomplished than she had ever done before (or would ever do again), it was Springfield's finest hour.
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