Before the Breakthrough, Linda Ronstadt’s Ramblin’ ‘Round Revealed the Restless Nerve of Her 1972 Self-Titled Album
On her 1972 self-titled album, Linda Ronstadt found something bracing in Woody Guthrie’s road song:...
Melody Era
Linda Ronstadt Rode Back Home in La Charreada, the Proud Pulse of Canciones de Mi Padre
In La Charreada, Linda Ronstadt did not simply visit mariachi tradition; she returned to a...
The 1991 Promise Inside Neil Diamond’s All I Really Need Is You on Lovescape
On All I Really Need Is You, Neil Diamond turned the polished sound of the...
Bee Gees’ “Rings Around the Moon” Lets Robin Gibb Turn a Still Waters Bonus Track Into a Private Confession
In the quiet margins of Still Waters, Bee Gees found a fragile kind of beauty...
The Quiet Cut Josh Turner Left in Plain Sight: Wonder in the 2017 Deep South Era
In the bright country polish of Deep South, Josh Turner tucked Wonder into the album...
A Rare Linda Ronstadt Co-Write Made “Winter Light” the Quiet Link Between Her 1993 Album and The Secret Garden
In “Winter Light,” Linda Ronstadt let a title track, a film song, and a rare...
Two Long Roads Meet in Emmylou Harris and John Starling’s Beyond the Great Divide from All I Intended to Be
In Beyond the Great Divide, Emmylou Harris and John Starling sound less like duet partners...
A Gambler’s Son, Sung Softly: Emmylou Harris Reframes Son of a Rotten Gambler on Cimarron
On Cimarron, Emmylou Harris turned Chip Taylor’s hard-edged family tale into a hushed question about...
A Love Song Becomes a Homecoming: John Fogerty’s Never Ending Song of Love on The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
On The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again, John Fogerty hears Never Ending Song of Love...
The Comeback Had Sharper Edges: David Cassidy’s “Stranger In Your Heart” with Mike Reno and Mark Spiro
In Stranger In Your Heart, David Cassidy stepped into 1990 not as a preserved memory,...
A Darker River Runs Through Linda Ronstadt’s Women ’Cross the River on 1995’s Feels Like Home
On Women ’Cross the River, Linda Ronstadt turns a roots song into a crossing point...
A Hitmaker Suddenly Roars: Neil Diamond’s “I Am the Lion” Inside Tap Root Manuscript’s African Trilogy
On Tap Root Manuscript, Neil Diamond stepped past the comfort of the hit single and...
Neil Diamond Found a Softer Truth in Buffy Sainte-Marie’s ‘Until It’s Time for You to Go’ on Touching You, Touching Me
Neil Diamond’s 1969 reading of Buffy Sainte-Marie’s farewell song turns restraint into its own kind...
A Breezy B-Side With a Smile: Bee Gees’ “Kitty Can” Behind “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You”
Before the chart hit carried a condemned man’s final plea, Bee Gees placed a lighter,...
The Beat That Remade the Bee Gees: You Should Be Dancing and Their 1976 Disco Breakthrough
With “You Should Be Dancing,” the Bee Gees turned a restless groove into the sound...
The Quiet Last Word: Josh Turner’s “Unsung Hero” Gives This Country Music Thing Its Gentle Farewell
At the end of This Country Music Thing, Josh Turner lets “Unsung Hero” speak for...
The First Note Looks Back: Josh Turner’s Down In Georgia Opens This Country Music Thing With Roots
Before the album reaches for anything new, Josh Turner lets Down In Georgia stand at...
Before the Solo Spotlight, Linda Ronstadt Found Country-Rock Grit in Up to My Neck in High Muddy Water
Before Linda Ronstadt became one of country-rock’s defining voices, this 1968 Stone Poneys track caught...
That Close Harmony Cuts Deep: Linda Ronstadt and J.D. Souther’s “Faithless Love” on Heart Like a Wheel
On Faithless Love, Linda Ronstadt did more than sing a J.D. Souther song — she...
A Quiet Door Opens: Emmylou Harris’s Here I Am Turns 2003’s Stumble Into Grace Toward Survival
With Here I Am, Emmylou Harris opens Stumble Into Grace not as a star arriving...
Emmylou Harris Let ‘She’ Hurt Quietly on 1977’s Luxury Liner, Where Gram Parsons Still Echoed
On Luxury Liner, Emmylou Harris turned She into a quiet act of remembrance, letting a...
The Quiet Risk Inside Emmylou Harris’s Blackhawk, Daniel Lanois’s Shadowed Wrecking Ball Turn
On Blackhawk, Emmylou Harris stepped into Daniel Lanois’s atmosphere and found a new kind of...
A Quiet Promise Holds Its Breath: Emmylou Harris’s “Someday My Ship Will Sail” on 1987’s Angel Band
On Angel Band, Emmylou Harris let “Someday My Ship Will Sail” drift in sacred quiet,...
Before Creedence Had a Name, The Golliwogs’ 1964 B-Side Little Girl (Does Your Momma Know) Lit the Fuse
Long before Creedence Clearwater Revival sounded carved out of river mud and radio memory, The...
An Old Train Song Became Shelter: John Fogerty’s Family Cover of City of New Orleans on Fogerty’s Factory
In the stillness of 2020, John Fogerty brought “City of New Orleans” into the family...
A Sharper Voice Near the End: The Partridge Family’s “Money Money” on Bulletin Board
On “Money Money”, David Cassidy sounded less like the face of a bright TV fantasy...
When the Teen-Idol Glow Changed: David Cassidy’s Tenderly and Alan Tarney’s 1985 Romance Reinvention
On Tenderly, David Cassidy stepped out of inherited fame and into a sleek 80s atmosphere...
Linda Ronstadt and Valerie Carter Made Devoted to You Feel Like a Promise Whispered at Bedtime
In Linda Ronstadt and Valerie Carter’s hands, an Everly Brothers vow became less like a...
Linda Ronstadt Let J.D. Souther’s Don’t Cry Now Bleed Quietly in 1973
Before the breakthrough came the ache: Linda Ronstadt’s 1973 title track turned J.D. Souther’s restraint...
Before the Arena Roar, Neil Diamond’s And The Singer Sings His Song Found Quiet Power at the Troubadour
At the Troubadour in 1970, Neil Diamond let a singer’s public role turn inward, making...