Recording information: 1962 - 1987.

The consistently well-selected and assembled two-disc GOLD compilations are almost always sure-fire bets, and the Dusty Springfield edition is no exception. Arranged chronologically, and spanning the breadth of her career, GOLD offers up 28 songs from the British diva, offering proof positive as to why she is revered by soul and pop fans alike.

Kicking off with "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" (the lone hit from Dusty's folk-pop outfit the Springfields) and her first solo single, "I Only Want to Be With You," listeners can chart the singer's trajectory right through to her 1987 collaboration with the synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys on "What Have I Done to Deserve This." In between are all the facets of the artist's sound, including tunes like "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Windmills of Your Mind" from her masterpiece, DUSTY IN MEMPHIS. For a beautifully assembled collection of the singer's best, this is a good one.