Dusting off Dusty (with audio review)

Take one maverick country singer-songwriter. Add Rod Stewart-inspired vanity "covers" project. Fold in the arrogance of covering an all-time-great album. Then, slow everything down. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right?\nTell that to Shelby Lynne.\nIn five days, Lynne recorded a grab bag of songs from Dusty Springfield's Dusty in Memphis era, an unusual blue-eyed soul choice for the rebellious Lynne. Then again, maybe it's the perfect fit. Lynne doesn't try to replicate the Springfield voice. Instead, she changes the arrangement to fit her own emotive voice. Like one actor taking the same role as a classical great, Lynne absorbs the past performance to make it her own. Low-key drums and guitar keep it reserved, with the occasional electric piano flourish to keep us from falling asleep.\nNot that anyone would while listening to Lynne's hypnotizing voice. Without that, the album might be little more than Starbucks soul-lite. Instead, Lynne adds her smoky twirl to a classic such as "The Look of Love" or glides over her accompaniment on "Anyone Who Had a Heart." Taking on these songs seems like a fool's errand, but Lynne attacks them with the same urgency that she does her own material.\nThe one Lynne original, "Pretend," has all the pain and vulnerability of Springfield ("Abuse me one more night /And pretend you love me") without giving up the iron will inside. Lynne has managed to cover covers, yet still imbue them with her personal style. You wouldn't mistake this for anyone else.\nThe arrangement actually reveals something about Springfield's original work, as well. Although Springfield was often categorized as "white soul," Lynne shows that without the soul backing brass and strings, these songs fit into a greater pop tradition -- one that the volatile Lynne slides into with surprising ease. When Lynne coos, "I only want to be with you," I want to sing along to match her yearning warmth. \nOne disappointment is that Lynne only gets to show off half her talents here, with her incisive songwriting left by the wayside. Nevertheless, the singing half of her artistry can still blow, smolder and belt the competition away.