Hasten Down the Wind 1976, Asylum The most country-focused of Ronstadt's albums, with some great covers (Patsy Cline's "Crazy" is perfectly suited to her big voice) and Buddy Holly's sweetly terse "That'll Be the Day," along with "Lo Siento Ma Vida," a hint of things to come. ![]() Prisoner in Disguise 1975, Asylum More of a rocker than its predecessor thanks to a cover of "Heat Wave," and also a good version of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" absent Whitney Houston's later-day histrionics. Heart Like a Wheel 1974, Capitol Great songs like "Desperado," "Willin'," "When Will I Be Loved," "You're No Good" and the heartwrenching title tune helped make this Ronstadt's breakthrough, and possibly her best album ever. The Stone Ponys Featuring Linda Ronstadt 1978, Capitol A best-of drawn from her first group's three albums from the late '60s, with a genial folk-rock sound. The one common thread will be that rich, glorious soprano and an unquenched sense of adventure. When Ronstadt performs at Constitution Hall on May 11, she'll be able to draw on any number of styles - folk, country, rock, R&B, standards, light opera and even new wave (she did some Elvis Costello in the early '80s). That's left some of her older fans frustrated, but it's also widened her popular base (particularly after her three albums of pop standards with Nelson Riddle). After that, Ronstadt seemed eager to try new things, even absent commercial prospects. Yet even with her elevation to pop stardom, Ronstadt has always been more willing than her peers to take significant risks, none as great as her decision to portray Mabel in the New York Shakespeare Festival's Pirates of Penzance. Asher helped her find stronger material - when Ronstadt connects with a lyric, it's sublime when she doesn't, it's pedestrian - that more effectively framed that achingly pure soprano. But when Ronstadt teamed up with producer Peter Asher (a one-time hitmaker as half of Peter and Gordon), everything started coming up gold and platinum. It wasn't easy or quick, as Ronstadt's first three solo albums proved (for instance, 1970's Silk Purse tends to be remembered more for its cover than its contents). Though she'd had her first hit in 1967 with the folk-rockish Ponys (the Michael Nesmith-penned "Different Drum"), it wasn't until Ronstadt started marching to her own drum that she made more than a fleeting impression. The Arizona-born singer first found her voice in the mid '60s with the Stone Ponys, but didn't find her focus until the emergence of the California-rooted country-rock movement begun by the Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers and Poco and ultimately commercialized by the Eagles - who used to be Ronstadt's backup band. ![]() A rewarding but confusing career - that's perhaps the best summary of Linda Ronstadt's long and winding road through pop stardom.
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