Linda Ronstadt
The Very Best Of (Elektra)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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The numbers tell the story. 21 tracks. 4 decades. 17 Pop hits, including 9 top tens and one #1. 15 Adult Contemporary charters, with 7 top tens and 2 #1's. Three cuts from chart albums, including yet another #1. That's an impressive career by any measure, and it's only skimming the highlights of the music Linda Ronstadt has produced since her first hit, 1967's "Different Drum." It bypasses her Broadway experience in light opera, her impressive interpretations of the Great American Songbook with Nelson Riddle, and her exploration of her father's Spanish language musical heritage.

Another volume exploring the chapters left out here would be worthwhile, but there's plenty on this disc to keep the Ronstadt fan base happy. Included are a pair of her memorable duets with Aaron Neville and her joint contribution, with James Ingram, to the film soundtrack for An American Tail. The heart of the album, though, lies in her affectionate and effective interpretations of classic rock and R&B material.

Linda Ronstadt has veered away from contemporary pop long enough to lose some fashionability, but any honest appraisal of her work will reveal an artist worthy of praise and respect, and this disc offers an excellent opportunity for just such an appraisal.

Track List:

When Will I Be Loved * Heat Wave * You're No Good * It's So Easy * Blue Bayou * Just One Look * Different Drum * Poor Poor Pitiful Me * Tracks Of My Tears * That'll Be The Day * Ooh Baby Baby * Long Long Time * Back In The USA * Love Is A Rose * Hurt So Bad * Heart Like A Wheel * Adios * Somewhere Out There (w/James Ingram) * Don't Know Much (w/Aaron Neville) * All My Life (w/Aaron Neville) * Winter Light

© 2002 - Shaun Dale