In contrast to the more fully instrumented original versions Dusty Springfield recorded, Lynne's remakes featured sparse arrangements, favoring acoustic guitars and pianos rather than a string or horn section.

"[13] In the spring of 2005 Lynne received an email from Barry Manilow suggesting that she cut an album of Dusty Springfield songs.

)[22] Critic Dave Madeloni opined: "Lynne takes 'The Look of Love' and 'Anyone Who Had a Heart' and boils them down to a hush, with understated arrangements that [showcase] her gorgeous voice".

"[24] The second: "How Can I Be Sure", a 1970 Top 40 UK hit for Springfield, Lynne knew from the original 1967 Young Rascals' version:[21] Lynne's version, eschewing the song's trademark 3/4 waltz time in favor of a 2/4 time signature arrangement featuring only a lone guitar,[24] "stripped [the song] of its Parisian street-song flavor [to end the album on] a [note of] naked need.

[18] Asked in 2012 of the possibility of her Dusty Springfield tribute serving as template for another album saluting a revered singer, Lynne replied: "Hell no.

[29] The reimagining of Springfield's songs has been a frequent mention in reviews of the album, e.g. the four-star critique by Bill Friskics-Warren in Nashville's largest newspaper, The Tennessean: Friskics-Warren, who found Lynne's "Delta-bred vocals...as supple and expressive as any this side of Bobbie Gentry", opined that "in terms of phrasing and arrangements Lynne's performances sound almost nothing like Springfield's originals.

Peeling back the [originals'] sweeping orchestras and production...Lynne and her emphatic rhythm section reinvent Dusty's material, underscoring the desperation and vulnerability at [each song's] core".

[30] Jim Farber, a critic for the New York Daily News, stated in his review that Lynne "[makes] Springfield's hits her own by inverting them on almost every level.