Forever Dusty: Homage to an Icon.Forever Dusty: Homage to an Icon * Various artists * Produced by Rebekah Radisch * R&D At first I thought Homage to an Icon was the wrong subtitle for this Dusty Springfield Dusty Springfield OBE (16 April, 1939–2 March, 1999) was a popular English singer whose career spanned four decades. She achieved her most notable success during the 1960s, with a successful comeback in the late 1980s. tribute: For me, Dusty the icon was all visual--the teased blond wigs, black-lidded eyes, glittery gowns, and extravagant hand gestures. They were separate from Dusty the singer, who blessed us with her awesome chops and impeccable taste for more than 30 years. But Webster's also defines icon as "an object of uncritical devotion." And this CD delivers devotion in full measure. Producer Rebekah Radisch rounded up a lineup of prominent indie-music women--lesbian and otherwise--to cover songs Dusty made famous. Considering how Springfield adored black female soul singers, it's poetically just that three of the best cuts are by sistahs: Laura Love Laura Love is an American musician born in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. She describes herself as a "light skinned Black" woman. Laura Love had a difficult childhood, raised by a mother with schizophrenia and in foster homes. romps through a countrified coun·tri·fied also coun·try·fied adj. 1. Resembling or having the characteristics of country life; rural. 2. Lacking sophistication. "Son of a Preacher Man"; The Tonight Show With Jay Leno's percussionist-vocalist Vicki Randle turns "Wishin' and Hopin'" into a wink-wink reggae version (she doesn't really want to wear her hair "just for him"); and David Bowie's bassist-backing vocalist Gail Ann Dorsey Gail Ann Dorsey is an American bassist and vocalist with a distinguished session career, most notably her long association with David Bowie. Her diverse range of work includes performances and/or recordings with, among others, Bryan Ferry, Boy George, the Indigo Girls, Khaled, Jane does a deep-voiced old-school rendition of the big ballad "Losing You." The white girls do Dusty proud as well. Jill Sobule's take on "Just a Little Lovin'" is irresistible; the Butchies propel "What's It Gonna Be" into grrrl-rock territory; and Jennifer Kimball darkly reinterprets "Chained to a Memory." On the disappointing side, Cath Carroll makes "No Easy Way Down" torpid tor·pid adj. 1. Deprived of power of motion or feeling. 2. Lethargic; apathetic. tor·pid  i·ty n. ; Marti Jones should have chosen something less daunting daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin than "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me"; and the Indigo Girls are earnest but dull on Dusty's antiwar an·ti·war adj. Opposed to war or to a particular war: antiwar protests; an antiwar candidate. folk song "Broken Blossoms" (written by her brother Tom). The album closes with "Soft Core," the Carole Pope-Kevan Staples composition that Dusty so seductively delivered, a la Marlene Dietrich, on her album White Heat. This time Pope, Dusty's ex-lover, tackles the song herself, taking it to a deliciously overdramatic height. The best efforts on this very pleasing tribute work just as they should: Even as each singer makes the song her own, she never lets us forget the beloved vocalist who inspired every note. |
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