![]() ![]() With a one-time standing as the Queen of Rock, where she was bestowed the title of "highest paid woman in rock", and known as the First Lady of Rock, she has more recently emerged as music matriarch, international arts advocate and Human Rights advocate. history, she is recognized for her many public stages of self-reinvention and incarnations. Being one of music's most versatile and commercially successful female singers in U.S. A singer and record producer, she is recognized as a definitive interpreter of songs. Ronstadt achieved her greatest commercial success in the mid-'70s. In 1969, with the release of 'Hand Sown… Home Grown', Ronstadt became the first female singer to release an alt-country album. After the break-up of the Stone Poneys, Linda entered the country music field. Her career began in 1967 with the release of folk-rock group The Stone Poneys' self-titled album. Though an occasional songwriter herself, she is better known as an interpreter of other songwriters' works. It's a pity Coolidge and Ronstadt have not been as consistently prolific as Harris.Linda Marie Ronstadt (born Jin Tucson, Arizona) is an American singer most closely associated with the country rock genre prevalent in the 1970s. I discovered Ronstadt, Rita Coolidge and Emmylou Harris at the same time in the 1970s and have remained a fan ever since. Anyone who appreciates crossover country, contemporary folk or pop-rock will enjoy this classic album of melodic songs. Ronstadt's flexible voice blends perfectly with all of these styles to ensure a cohesive sound and a very enjoyable listening experience after all these years. Other beautiful ballads include the title track, Someone To Lay Down Beside Me and If He's Ever Near. The buoyant pop song Give One Heart has an addictive hook and is performed with gusto, while the Spanish ballad Lo Siento Mi Vida is soulful and moving, the perfect vehicle for bringing out the tender side of her voice. Her version of the gospel-reggae classic Rivers Of Babylon is closer to that of The Melodians than Boney M and she does a stunning cover of Buddy Holly's That'll Be The Day. This is probably Linda Ronstadt's most accomplished and beautiful album in its refreshing variety of styles and well chosen material. All in all, this is a terrific album and one that is really a showcase for Linda at her very best. My personal favorite here is Tracey nelson's "Down So Low", and of course, "Hasten Down the Wind", a song so reminiscent of the soulful songs on previous albums like "Prisoner In Disguise" and Long, Long. She soars with an interpretation of the traditional "Rivers Of Babylon", and a lovely effort at blue-eyed soul with "Give One Heart". "Tattler" and "Try Me Again" are sizzling, as is a well-arranged version of Bonhoff's "Lose Again". Then too, Patsy Cline's "Crazy" is powerfully interpreted. The title tune, written by songwriter and performing wildman Warren Zevon, "Hasten down The Wind", is a haunting, powerfully performed song. Her fans knew what they liked, and they sure seemed to like this terrific collection of so many different genres gathered under a single tent. Well, so much for them pesky critic fellas! From a raucous hit song like Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day" to a sweet and soulful interpretation of Karla Bonhoff's plaintive "Someone To Lay Down Beside Me", Linda pulls out all of the stops, and although the album was panned critically, it was also her first album to go platinum. She shows here just how versatile and eclectic her approach to some interesting material could be. Like the legendary Johnny Rivers, who always seemed to have a magical touch for turning other people's work into brilliant covers and best-selling albums, Ronstadt here does a star turn with other people's songs. This is a classic Ronstadt album, recorded when she was really in her prime, busy cranking out the volume of hits and those seemingly effortless and sometimes facile interpretations of other people's songs, showing just how original an artist she was. ![]()
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