Bradford Cornell

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James Ellroy and Otto Penzler, series editor of the annual The Best American Mystery Stories, mined one hundred years of writing—1910–2010—to find this treasure trove of thirty-nine stories. From noir’s twenties-era infancy come gems like James M. Cain’s “Pastorale,” and its post-war heyday boasts giants like Mickey Spillane and Evan Hunter. Packing an undeniable punch, diverse contemporary incarnations include Elmore Leonard, Patricia Highsmith, Joyce Carol Oates, Dennis Lehane, and William Gay, with many page-turners appearing in the last decade.

"Beautiful Soul" collects tracks from Springfield's 1973 "Cameo" album, along with the entirety of its previously unreleased follow-up "Longing". The "Cameo" tracks are produced by then-hot songwriting team Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, and they're done in the same pop/soul style the pair employed with the Four Tops at the time. Highlights include "Who Gets Your Love," a mid-tempo teaser that became a modest hit, and a spectacularly soulful version of Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey." The "Longing" tracks, some of which were to some degree unfinished, are a bit more wide-ranging stylistically. Among the best are the haunting, minor-key "Exclusively for Me," on which Springfield does a lovely impression of its co-author, ex-Zombies singer Colin Blunstone," and "A Love Like Yours," a lesser-known Motown song that she re-recorded for her 1977 album "It Begins Again".