Linda Ronstadt - Duets

Rhino 8122-79597-1



During the 1970s and into the 1980s, Linda Ronstadt emerged as the best and most versatile contemporary female vocalist. Those of us who were enthralled by her magical vocal work back in The Stone Poney days and watched as she stumbled through a series of solo albums, were more than thankful that she made it. Sadly, with the onset of Parkinson’s disease, she can no longer sing, but there will always remain the musical memories and a rich back catalogue of quality recordings. This compilation spans more than 30 years from 1974’s I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)—featuring superb vocal harmonies by Emmylou Harris—through to a trio of recordings with Ann Savoy from the vastly underrated ADIEU FALSE HEART album from 2006. Throughout her career, Ronstadt always exhibited great taste in both choice of song material and those singers and musicians that she chose to record with. So it is that this 15-track selection features one musical masterpiece after another.

It’s somewhat unfortunate that so-called self-professed country music aficionados dismiss Linda Ronstadt out of hand, as this superb album contains so many classic country performances, often recorded at a time when Nashville-based mainstream country was losing its way to pop-country overload. I still consider Linda’s version of Hank’s I Can’t Help It, one of the best I’ve ever heard—and I’ve probably heard a few hundred over the years. Not only did the single reach number two on the American country charts in 1976, but also earned Ronstadt a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal. I Never Will Marry (with Dolly Parton providing harmony vocal) shows that the lady from the country was always better equipped and more comfortable in the rural setting than as a rock‘n’roll queen. She also updates several tunes that she had probably heard growing up in the early 1960s like Ike & Tina Turner’s r&b-flavoured I Think It’s Gonna Work Out Fine, with James Taylor her duet partner, whilst a heart-wrenchingly exquisite rendition of the Left Banke’s 1966 hit Walk Away Renee is another harmonic highlight, this one featuring Ann Savoy. Adieu False Heart, a traditional tune from the mid-19th Century, popularised by fiddler Arthur Smith, also features Ms Savoy.

There are also some other heavyweight duet partners here like Don Henley on Warren Zevon’s exquisite Hasten Down The Wind, Aaron Neville with the string-drenched All My Life and James Ingram with Somewhere Out There. The one track that didn’t appeal to me is Sisters, a camp duet with Bette Midler; but that is down to my personal taste. For those who might think they have everything by Ms Ronstadt, there is the bonus here of one previously unissued track. The a cappella  Pretty Bird, which features Laurie Lewis, is a genuine surprise; pure Appalachian mountain music unadorned by modern influences. Overall a wide and varied collection that is highly recommended.

www.ronstadt-linda.com