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”...
A Quiet Storm in Plain Sight: Why Emmylou Harris’s “The Pearl” From Red Dirt Girl Still Cuts So Deep
On Red Dirt Girl, “The Pearl” sounds like an inward conversation with pain and endurance,...
A Country Torch Passed On: Emmylou Harris’ Making Believe on Luxury Liner Carried Kitty Wells Into 1977
On Luxury Liner, Emmylou Harris turns Making Believe into more than a cover, singing an...
So Much Softer, Still So True: Emmylou Harris’s “I Still Miss Someone” on Bluebird Reopened a Johnny Cash Classic
On Bluebird, Emmylou Harris takes a spare Johnny Cash lament and gives it a smoother...
That First Burst of Light: Emmylou Harris’s “Bluebird Wine” Opens 1975’s Pieces of the Sky
Before Emmylou Harris carried listeners into the ache and grace of Pieces of the Sky,...
Buried Beneath Bayou Country, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Penthouse Pauper” Is John Fogerty at His Grittiest
On an album crowded with bigger titles, “Penthouse Pauper” reveals Creedence Clearwater Revival in their...
When Creedence Clearwater Revival Changed Course, Sailor’s Lament Became John Fogerty’s Quiet Gamble on Pendulum
Sailor’s Lament shows what happened when Creedence Clearwater Revival stepped away from their usual rush...
Easy to Overlook, Hard to Forget: The Partridge Family’s “Brown Eyes” Shows David Cassidy at His Warmest
Some songs do not need urgency to stay with you. On The Partridge Family’s 1971...
Far From Teen Idol: David Cassidy’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” Gave His 1990 Comeback Real Adult Weight
On David Cassidy’s 1990 comeback album, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” sounded less like nostalgia and...
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”...
The Return Wasn’t Nostalgia: Linda Ronstadt’s When We Ran Gave We Ran Its Soul
On We Ran, Linda Ronstadt found a song that looked backward without living in the...
It Only Reached No. 65, but Neil Diamond’s Front Page Story Still Feels Like a Lost Chapter of the Heartlight Era
Some songs arrive without fanfare, then linger for years as quiet evidence of where an...
The Reinvention Hidden in Plain Sight: Bee Gees’ The Woman in You and the 1983 Staying Alive Gamble
In the long shadow of Saturday Night Fever, The Bee Gees returned with The Woman...
One Quiet 2020 Duet Carried a Lifetime: Josh Turner and Kris Kristofferson on “Why Me” for Country State of Mind
In Josh Turner’s 2020 duet of “Why Me” with Kris Kristofferson, a country standard becomes...
Few Expected This: Linda Ronstadt’s “Skylark” With Nelson Riddle Turned Lush Life Into a Quiet Revelation
On Skylark, Linda Ronstadt does not overpower a classic; with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, she...
When the Room Goes Still: Emmylou Harris’ Green Pastures and Ricky Skaggs on 1980’s Roses in the Snow
On Green Pastures, Emmylou Harris strips the sound down to wood, wire, and breath, and...
A Pop Classic Turned Tender: Emmylou Harris’s ‘Save the Last Dance for Me’ on Blue Kentucky Girl
When Emmylou Harris brought “Save the Last Dance for Me” to Blue Kentucky Girl, she...
When an Old Plea Turned Weathered and Wiser: John Fogerty and Bruce Springsteen’s When Will I Be Loved on The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
On The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again, John Fogerty turns a classic song of uncertainty...
The Sad Truth Beneath Cherish: David Cassidy’s “We Could Never Be Friends” Showed a Softer, Wiser Side in 1972
On David Cassidy’s first solo album, one deep cut quietly revealed something the screaming fame...
The Song Linda Ronstadt Reimagined: Warren Zevon’s “Mohammed’s Radio” Became Something Richer on Living in the USA
On Living in the USA, Linda Ronstadt took Warren Zevon’s restless “Mohammed’s Radio” and turned...
One of Their Most Human Moments: Bee Gees’ ‘Wedding Day’ on 2001’s This Is Where I Came In Lets All Three Brothers Share the Lead
Wedding Day is one of those late Bee Gees recordings that quietly reveals the real...
Before Disco Found Them, Bee Gees’ “Alive” Marked a Quiet 1972 Turning Point
In 1972, Bee Gees sang Alive as if survival itself had a melody—part reassurance, part...
Hiding in Plain Sight, Neil Diamond’s Lady Magdalene Is the Deep Cut That Gives 1974’s Serenade Its Quiet Mystery
On Serenade, Neil Diamond lets Lady Magdalene live in the half-light, where romance, reverence, and...
Hidden on a 1976 B-Side, Neil Diamond’s Home Is a Wounded Heart Revealed the Loneliest Side of Beautiful Noise
In the glow of Beautiful Noise, Neil Diamond left room for a darker aftersound: Home...
Hidden on Long Black Train, Josh Turner’s You Don’t Mess Around with Jim Revealed the Singer He Was Becoming
On Long Black Train, Josh Turner turned Jim Croce‘s ‘You Don’t Mess Around with Jim’...
The Warmest Surprise on Deep South: Josh Turner’s ‘Hawaiian Girl’ With Ho’okena Felt Like Country Finding a New Shore
On Hawaiian Girl, Josh Turner lets country music breathe ocean air. His 2017 collaboration with...
The Quiet Center of 1987’s Trio: Linda Ronstadt’s Telling Me Lies Still Feels Like Its Most Revealing Moment
On Telling Me Lies, Linda Ronstadt turns the promise of Trio into something intimate, proving...
The Song That Softened Get Closer: Linda Ronstadt’s “Talk to Me of Mendocino” Still Sounds Like Home
On Get Closer, Linda Ronstadt turns Talk to Me of Mendocino into a song of...
The No. 3 That Proved Her Touch: Emmylou Harris Turned Earl Montgomery’s One of These Days Into an Elite Hotel Triumph
On Elite Hotel, Emmylou Harris made room for a different kind of country hit, turning...