A Perfectly Easy Spark: Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor Lifted “I Think It’s Gonna Work Out Fine” on 1982’s Get Closer
On Get Closer, Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor turn “I Think It’s Gonna Work Out...
Linda Ronstadt
She Made Swing Breathe Again: Linda Ronstadt’s “Straighten Up and Fly Right” With Nelson Riddle on For Sentimental Reasons
On For Sentimental Reasons, Linda Ronstadt does something rarer than revival. With “Straighten Up and...
When Linda Ronstadt Took on Neil Young’s “Look Out for My Love,” Mad Love Found Its Nervous Heart
On Mad Love, Linda Ronstadt turns “Look Out for My Love” into something tense, bright,...
When the Promise Grew Older, Linda Ronstadt’s If I Should Fall Behind on We Ran Hit With Quiet Force
On We Ran, Linda Ronstadt took Bruce Springsteen’s If I Should Fall Behind and made...
The Coolest Left Turn: Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Girls Talk’ on Mad Love Still Sounds Daring
On Mad Love, Linda Ronstadt found a harder, brighter shape for ‘Girls Talk’, turning an...
Three Voices, One Deep Memory: Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, and Emmylou Harris Sing Lover’s Return on 1999’s Trio II
On Lover’s Return, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, and Emmylou Harris do something rarer than showing...
Before Trio Had a Name, Emmylou Harris’ “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” Let Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt Drift In
Years before Trio became a formal landmark, Emmylou Harris was already finding that rare three-part...
A Quiet Storm of a Vocal: Linda Ronstadt’s 1976 ‘Hasten Down the Wind’ Gave Warren Zevon’s Song Its Lasting Spell
On the 1976 title track Hasten Down the Wind, Linda Ronstadt found the still center...
The Quiet Pull of Linda Ronstadt’s “Colorado” on Don’t Cry Now Still Feels Like a Long Goodbye
On Don’t Cry Now, Linda Ronstadt turns Rick Roberts’ “Colorado” into something larger than a...
She Didn’t Just Cover “Y Andale” — Linda Ronstadt Turned 1987’s Canciones de Mi Padre Into a Homecoming
On Canciones de Mi Padre, Linda Ronstadt sings “Y Andale” with the lift of celebration...
The Brave Reinvention: Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Falling in Love Again’ on 1984’s Lush Life with Nelson Riddle
On Lush Life, Linda Ronstadt took a song steeped in old-world allure and made it...
Before the Breakthrough, Linda Ronstadt’s “Louise” on 1970’s Silk Purse Showed Her Quiet Power
On Silk Purse, Linda Ronstadt found something deeper than polish in “Louise”—an early-career moment where...
Why Linda Ronstadt and Bette Midler’s “Sisters” Duet on the 2003 Rosemary Clooney Tribute Still Feels So Special
On “Sisters”, Linda Ronstadt and Bette Midler do not reach for spectacle. They find something...
What Linda Ronstadt Heard in “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” Made Heart Like a Wheel Cut Deeper in 1974
On Heart Like a Wheel, Linda Ronstadt turns a familiar goodbye into something quieter and...
A Softer Voice, a Sharper Sting: How Linda Ronstadt’s “Sail Away” on 1973’s Don’t Cry Now Recast Randy Newman
On Don’t Cry Now, Linda Ronstadt took “Sail Away” and made it feel less like...
Barely a Minute, Yet Deeply Felt: Why Linda Ronstadt’s “Rivers of Babylon” Is Hasten Down the Wind’s Quiet Revelation
Some album tracks arrive like centerpieces, and some pass like a breath that changes the...
When Linda Ronstadt and Nelson Riddle Turned “Someone to Watch Over Me” Into the Quiet Heart of What’s New
On What’s New, Linda Ronstadt and Nelson Riddle treat “Someone to Watch Over Me” not...
The Quiet Surprise on Get Closer: Linda Ronstadt’s “Talk to Me of Mendocino” Deserves a Second Listen
On an album remembered for its polished early-’80s glow, Linda Ronstadt slipped in a song...
A Late-Career Grace Note: Linda Ronstadt’s I’ll Be Seeing You on Hummin’ to Myself Still Cuts Deep
By the time Linda Ronstadt returned to this old standard in 2004, she was no...
Before the Fame, Linda Ronstadt’s “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” on Hand Sown… Home Grown Already Pointed to Everything Ahead
On her 1969 solo debut, Linda Ronstadt found in a Bob Dylan song the easy...
The Quiet Power in Linda Ronstadt’s “I Keep It Hid” Made Winter Light Feel Like a Private Confession
On Winter Light, Linda Ronstadt found strength in restraint, and her reading of “I Keep...
She Came Home in Song: Linda Ronstadt’s El Crucifijo de Piedra on 1991’s Mas Canciones
On Más Canciones, Linda Ronstadt did more than revisit a tradition. With El Crucifijo de...
Three Voices, One Ache: Why Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt Made “Those Memories of You” the Soul of 1987’s Trio
On Trio, “Those Memories of You” became more than a song about longing. In the...
Hidden in a No. 1 Album, Linda Ronstadt’s “Simple Man, Simple Dream” May Be the True Heart of Simple Dreams
On an album crowded with radio favorites, “Simple Man, Simple Dream” feels like the inward...
Hidden in Plain Sight, Linda Ronstadt’s “White Rhythm & Blues” Is the Soul of Living in the USA
Sometimes the truest song on a blockbuster album is the one that never fights for...
The Quiet Comeback That Counted: Linda Ronstadt’s “Walk On” Put Her Back on the Country Chart in 1995
Some returns arrive with noise. Linda Ronstadt came back to the country singles chart with...
So Quiet It Almost Hurts: How Linda Ronstadt Turned “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress” Into the Deepest Moment on Get Closer
On Get Closer, Linda Ronstadt sings Jimmy Webb‘s “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress” with...
Long Before Heart Like a Wheel, Linda Ronstadt’s “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” on Hand Sown… Home Grown showed exactly where she was headed
On her 1969 solo debut, Linda Ronstadt sang Bob Dylan’s “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight”...
The Quiet Ruin in Linda Ronstadt’s “Shattered” May Be the Deepest Moment on Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind
On an album remembered for its grand feeling and celebrated duets, Linda Ronstadt turned “Shattered”...
Hidden in Plain Sight, Linda Ronstadt’s “Keep Me from Blowing Away” Is the Tender Soul of Heart Like a Wheel
On the album that made Linda Ronstadt a major star, “Keep Me from Blowing Away”...