Just a Little Lovin'

It’s a daredevil’s task to take on the works of Dusty Springfield, but Shelby Lynne is up for the challenge. Springfield virtually defined blue-eyed country soul in the late 1960s with her expansive and emotive reach. Other singers paled next to her. For this collection of Springfield covers (and one Lynne original “Pretend”), Lynne’s voice is front and center. (She avoids “Son of a Preacher Man,” leaving Springfield’s most famous cut untouched.) Lynne applies a judicious restraint throughout, assigning a nightclub grace to Springfield’s early pop hit “I Only Want to Be You” and taking her time with Springfield’s other standards from the title track to “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “The Look of Love.” Lynne’s smartest move was to hire old-school producer Phil Ramone who never interferes with the music, but ensures that everything is pristinely recorded, and the small ensemble of musicians are given the room necessary to choose their notes. This beautifully restrained collection is proof that there is power and eloquence in keeping it quiet.