Search - Dusty Springfield :: The Look Of Love

It's That Voice

06/28/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although Dusty's material on this one is a little weak--"Sunny" and "If You Go Away" are not lyrically on par with songs like "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" or "Anyone Who Had a Heart"--she still delivers vocal performances that make most singers sound emotionally illiterate. Her tender delivery of "Give Me Time" is worthy of repeated listens, and the driving "What's It Gonna Be" is one of her most urgent vocals of all-time.That said, the true gem here is "The Look of Love." Her voice is soulful, sensual, and silky. The musical accompaniment, which on Dusty records sometimes tends to overtake her vocals, perfectly compliments her here. This cut is worth the price of admission.Dusty is probably the greatest white soul singer of all-time, and this collection is a great starting point for newcomers and for long-time fans alike. You won't be disappointed."

DUSTY DUSTY DUSTY!!!

07/23/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ok, this was the CD of the same type of Philips albums cd reissues I liked the least. But last week I listened to it after almost 2 years of silence and I was simply AMAZED! The title track, I had had in mind more because it was well known, but actually listening to it again was magical, the sound was heavenly, her voice angelic and put it all together and you have DUSTY. OMG, and also the sax solo, sounding like it was a child playing it without enough breath, is amazing. This song recording is unbelievable. And if that wasn't enough, the second track struck me as well, being incredible! you have to listen to it!!! The rest didn't catch me as well, but I have to give it more time. I always wish she'd have done a Cher-like Sunny version, but this upbeat nonstop performance is very different and funny, and I like it, it is Dusty after all who sings it!"

The Look Of Love Is The Sound Of Perfection

Mark D. Prouse | Riverdale (Bronx), NY | 04/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Introduction: This is an essential album for Dusty Springfield fans, but is a nearly perfect pop record, and should have become a generally recognized Classic. My opinion is that the cheesy album design and bad cover photo hurt it almost as much as the fact that it came out when the late sixties' counter culture and hard, "acid" rock began to so overwhelm the music scene that there was little interest in the marketplace for old-fashioned, pretty pop melodies sung by girls in evening gowns and bouffant hairdo's (but then, the socially conscious folk music of the early '60's that helped to foster the youth rebellion of the latter half of the decade was also becoming pass?, destroyed almost overnight when Dylan "went electric"). Perhaps Dusty and her kind were becoming irrelevant back then, and with good reason, but hearing this music today, separating it from its period, it was so perfectly sung, and at the same time so heartfelt, that it now sounds timeless.



Review: Dusty enjoyed a great, posthumous outpouring of CD reissues shortly after her death in 1999. Unfortunately, THE LOOK OF LOVE has joined many other whole-album releases on the "currently unavailable" list, and this is a particular shame because this was her last and best Phillips LP, just about on par (in my opinion) with the better-known DUSTY IN MEMPHIS. The only thing that keeps this record from surpassing her Atlantic classic, are the musical arrangements, which, with the exceptions of the title song, "What's It Gonna Be" and "Welcome Home," are somewhat routine and unimaginative. Don't let that stop you from hunting down a copy of this great album. Get a used copy on vinyl if you have to, because this is Dusty at the peak of her vocal powers and interpretive skills. "Welcome Home" is so beautifully sung and poignant that you would have to be without a heart in your chest be unmoved by it. The Vanilla Fudge hit is blown out of the water by Dusty's version of "Take Me For A Little While," and "Chained To A Memory" is among Springfield's warmest and most heartbreaking performances. Never mind the Carpenter's later, hit version of the cloying "They Long To Be Close To You." Take away their tedious, wordless chorus portion and you would hear something close to Dusty's rendition, which is far more beautiful (I'm actually quite fond of much from the Richard and Karen catalogue, so no offense to Carpenters fans). "What's It Gonna Be" is one of Dusty's very best up-tempo numbers, but I've always felt it had a lot more to say and is, therefore, too short. It is what it is, and I'll take it (There is a superior, stereo mix of "What's It Gonna Be," first released on THE DUSTY SPRINGFIELD ANTHOLOGY, with a few extra seconds of fade-out that would have been nice to include on this reissue, rather than the mono original. Purists may disagree). About a quietly smoldering "The Look Of Love," with its breathy, sexy sax arrangement, no other cover of this song comes close to touching Dusty's rendition, making it secure as The Definitive Version. The recording heard here is one of three different vocals by Dusty that have been available. This one, with added reverb, is my favorite, although other listeners may prefer the ones without the echo chamber, which are available on many hits collections and the Casino Royale soundtrack. "Sunny" and "Come Back To Me" are overblown big band numbers that work only because Dusty manages to remain front and center; she belts these songs out, and they are short and to-the-point, both ending with wonderful, blasting, sustained final notes. "Give Me Time" was a more successful single overseas, and is similar to her earlier big, Italian ballad-type numbers like "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me." "If You Go Away" features some awkwardly pronounced French lyrics, but Dusty's accent doesn't matter, because this performance is achingly beautiful, ending with a spoken, pleading, "please don't go away." Only Nina Simone's version of this oft-covered song may rival the Springfield recording.



The four bonus tracks on the remastered CD issue make this release an even bigger treat. "It's Over" was only released originally as a 45rpm single. It is one of Dusty's finest moments, and not to be missed. Gorgeous. Glen Campbell did a very nice version of this memorable tune around the same time, but it still didn't match Dusty's sublime reading. Here we hear Dusty's under-used upper register, with an almost impossibly breathless high note bringing the song to a close. The U.K. album WHERE AM I GOING? contained several of the same songs heard on THE LOOK OF LOVE, but didn't include its title song or "What's It Gonna Be." Conversely, THE LOOK OF LOVE inexplicably omitted "I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face," one of La Springfield's most soulful performances. As excellent as Aretha's version was, this one is better, and it was a wise decision to include it here. The other two bonus tracks, "I'll Try Anything" and "I've Got A Good Thing," are less necessary, as they were previously available on earlier albums, and are not among Dusty's best material. However, they were remixed for this release, and have superior sound. Still, had I been in charge, I would have instead included the other songs left off of THE LOOK OF LOVE from WHERE AM I GOING?: the rocking "Bring Him Back," Dusty's only protest song, the anti-war "Broken Blossoms," and her one grand, and very successful, attempt at a Broadway showstopper, "Where Am I Going?" from Sweet Charity.



In Conclusion: THE LOOK OF LOVE deserves greater fame; A Pop Masterpiece.





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