If you overlook the title track, a pop hit in the manner of "Stay Awhile" et al, this is Springfield's best R&B album of her early career. "Won't Be Long" shows Springfield as a soul-shouter par excellence, now with the backing to match, a reasonable fascimile of an authentic American sound, and she alternates with her softer ballad singing. But whether she's covering songs by Goffin-King ("Oh No! Not My Baby," "I Can't Hear You"),
Burt Bacharach ("Long After Tonight Is Over"),
Randy Newman ("I've Been Wrong Before"), or Ragavoy and Russell ("It Was Easier to Hurt Him"), she makes it come out in her most alluring R&B style. There are a few breaks in the mood, like a less than compelling "La Bamba" and a rendition of "Who Can I Turn To" that's close in spirit to
Dionne Warwick at her poppiest, but generally Springfield is consistently superb here, even elevating Rod Argent's "If It Don't Work Out" in an achingly soulful rendition. The 1999 Mercury reissue contains a trio of tracks never before issued in the U.S. "Doodlin'" and "Packin' Up" are lively enough, and the latter features an uncredited guitar solo, a first on a Springfield record and a fine counterpoint to her lusty, shouted performance, but the real jewel is her poignant, lyrical rendition of "That's How Heartaches Are Made." ~ Bruce Eder