Dusty Springfield: See All Her Faces (2002)

Dusty Springfield’s See All Her Faces album was originally released on the Philips Records label, in 1972. It contains a mixture of tracks from different recording sessions. Some were recorded with Jeff Barry, Arif Mardin, and Jerry Wexler for a planned third album for Atlantic Records, which never materialised, and the others were recorded for Philips in the UK, between 1969 and 1971. As a result, the album has no cohesive sound, but offers many different styles of music. It has been suggested that See All Her Faces is best appreciated track by track, rather than as a whole stylistic statement, as her album Dusty in Memphis is often praised to be. The choice of material may have seemed oddly conservative for 1972, but Dusty was simply doing what she did best. As a pop stylist and interpreter, she was peerless. Her soul covers of ‘Crumbs Off The Table’, ‘Girls Can't Do What Guys Do’ and ‘Girls It Ain't Easy’ bettered the originals by Glass House, Betty Wright and Honey Cone. Hard to believe, but true. The big ballads were powerful and heartbreaking (‘Yesterday When I Was Young’). She even dabbled with bossa nova (‘Come For a Dream’ and ‘See All Her Faces’) and the results were allways inspired. On the opening track, Jimmy Webb's ‘Mixed Up Girl’ originally recorded by Thelma Houston, she showed just what transforming powers inspired phrasing can have on a song. SAHF has often been unfairly dismissed by music critics and fans alike for its lack of coherence. Blame it on Philips if you must, but don't make the mistake of ignoring its content, because there are loads of wonderful stuff in there to enjoy. ~ http://www.amazon.com/

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Dusty Springfield singing live 'A Brand New Me':

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