”Mercy”: This chick Duffy, a Dusty Springfield for the 21st Century? Eh, perhaps not, but I’m digging this. Ok, maybe not that weird whisper rap thing. I’m just a sucker for a girl with a vintage haircut with a smoky voice and song with the refrain, “yeah, yeah, yeah” in it? (Which is why I still like Amy Winehouse, despite the crack use and bad skin problem).
But, the actual Dusty? The British Burt Bacharach-singing chanteause, maybe-lesbian with a hard-as-nails disposition (what a sad life she did have!) and a voice like cough syrup smoothing over a chest cold…. oh man, Dusty Springfield was the shit.
Dusty singing “Everyday I have to cry.” This is from Ready Steady Go!, 1964
I used to think, many years back when I was too-cool-for-school, that my dad was crazy for listening to Dusty. And then I burned his copy of Dusty in Memphis and after one listening I just got it.
This is soul. And really, really good production.
