CD Odyssey Disc 1841: Linda Ronstadt

I took today off and treated myself to a little record shop. On the walk home I also finished getting in my listen to the next album up for review.

Disc 1841 is…Mad Love

Artist: Linda Ronstadt

Year of Release: 1980

What’s up with the Cover? Linda caught in the dead of night making a clandestine phone call!

Linda looks very sexy here, suggesting this could be a booty call. However, the record is called “Mad Love” so this could be her calling some guy in the dead of night to tell him that they can be together now "the wife is out of the way”. Oh, and she’s hidden the bloody knife in his house with his fingerprints on it in case he gets any ideas about changing his mind.

I gotta ease up on binge watching “You”…

How I Came To Know It: Over the last five years or so I’ve been doing a deep dive into Linda Ronstadt’s catalogue. Little did I know how hard it was going to be to find it, but eventually it came in a package of reissues, and I snapped it up. I had to “re-buy” some of the other records in there, but no harm done, as the resulting doubles all went to good homes.

How It Stacks Up: When I last reviewed a Linda Ronstadt album I only had seven, but that number has grown to nine, requiring a bit of readjustment. “Mad Love” comes in at #8 (of 9), ahead of “Living in the USA (now #9).

Ratings: 2 stars

Linda Ronstadt has one of those voices that can cross into any genre and be successful. Country, folk, pop and rock and roll all suit her well. She would’ve been awesome in a metal band as well but, alas, this never happened.

What did happen in 1980 was “Mad Love”, Ronstadt’s foray into early eighties pop and New Wave. Remember the Flashdance soundtrack? Well, cross that with everything you know about Linda Ronstadt and you’ll have an approximation of what this record is like.

Now, before you tune out at this notion, I will quickly note that “Mad Love” is better than the Flashdance soundtrack. Just hearing Ronstadt’s power vocals are enough to make it better. There’s a reason she’s got the reputation of one of the all-time vocal greats. Her tone is rich through all the many octaves she can sing in, and she’s equally adept at sounding sweet romantic ballads, angst-ridden dirges, and even a bit of growl when a tougher sound is called for. She meets each genre she tackles on its own terms, honours what makes that kind of music unique, and then uses her instrument to elevate it.

On “Mad Love” it is a hard sell. Early eighties pop has a tinny production and a lot of excess instrumentation in the arrangement. While Ronstadt embraces this sound, it doesn’t allow her to fully showcase what she can do. The transfer to CD does not do the low end of the record any favours either.

Good thing we are talking about Linda Ronstadt. The title track launches with a jump at the front of the beat that will feature on and off throughout the record. This song has an easy anthemic quality that was typical of stadium rock at the time, and while you shouldn’t expect to be wowed with anything original, you should expect to be inspired and lifted. Does this song have one too many organ solos? Yes, it does, but if you think you didn’t have fun listening to it then you may be lying to yourself.

Juxtaposed to this we have the sultry croon of “Hurt So Bad” which is up there competing with the likes of Pat Benatar with its combination of sexy and sultry. Again we have Ronstadt leaning forward into the beat, but rather than feeling rushed, it creates an urgency that matches the song’s themes of longing and desire.

Ronstadt tries this same treatment on Neil Young’s “Look Out For My Love” but here things don’t mesh. This song is meant as a meandering stoner journey, and trying to infuse it with early eighties production makes it feel artificial and forced. It’s not often Ronstadt fails to make a cover her own, but it happens here.

Despite some high points, “Mad Love” did not consistently inspire me. Ronstadt demonstrates she can do anything on this record, but I admit I was left wondering if the effort was worth it.

Best tracks: Mad Love, Hurt So Bad, Justine

CD Odyssey Disc 1678: Linda Ronstadt

Sheila is out at the theatre tonight so it is just me and the cat. I love live music, but live theatre? Not so much. Of course when one has music, one is never alone. What music accompanies me (and the cat) tonight? Read on to find out.

Disc 1678 is…Silk Purse

Artist: Linda Ronstadt

Year of Release: 1970

What’s up with the Cover?  A youthful Linda Ronstadt sits in a pig pen, presumably to make the “sow’s ear” reference that makes the title of the record “work”.

I’m not sure who thought this cover was wise, but it was not a good idea in 1970 and it has aged poorly.

How I Came To Know It: I’ve taken a surf through Ronstadt’s discography the last few years, and on my first visit to “Silk Purse” I took a pass. However, when it showed up as part of a trilogy of records on one CD (along with “Hand Sewn…Home Grown” (Disc 1577) and her self-titled effort (Disc 1419)) I decided it was worth picking up after all.

How It Stacks Up: I have seven Linda Ronstadt albums, and I’m on the lookout for an eighth. Of the seven I currently have, “Silk Purse” is not a favourite. I’ll put it sixth.

Rating: 3 stars

Any conversation of Linda Ronstadt starts with her voice. It is one of the finest voices in popular music – country or otherwise – and it makes any song sound good. It may be because of this high expectation that “Silk Purse” did not inspire me the way I’d hoped it would.

Yes, Ronstadt can still sing like an angel, but situated between the wholesome “just arrived” feel of “Hand Sown…Home Grown” and the full-blown brilliance of her 1972 self-titled release, “Silk Purse” often feels the awkward middle child.

Ronstadt is a vocalist not a songwriter, and part of being a vocalist is taking each song and making it your own. She does a passable job of it here but is into helped that I knew two of the first three tracks by others and liked their versions better.

The record starts with the classic country tune, “Lovesick Blues” and while Ronstadt does it well, it isn’t the timeless masterpiece of Hank Williams’ late forties version, nor the masterwork of Patsy Cline’s 1960 delivery. If anyone can keep up with the genius that is Patsy Cline it is Linda Ronstadt. Just not this time, I’m afraid.

Ronstadt also takes a run at “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” but again, I couldn’t help but think of the Shirelles classic and again like it better.

However, you can’t keep a good woman down, and talent eventually finds a way, and so the opening track of Side Two (or Track Six for us currently uncool CD types) she delivers a masterpiece with “Long Long Time.” If there is a more poignant and heartbreaking song of love and loss than “Long Long Time” I can’t think of it right now. This song is pure magic.

It helps that this song was recently rediscovered by the world through an exceptional episode of the TV Show “The Last of Us”. There it bookends one of best 60 minutes of TV (and enduring love) I’ve experienced. So, yeah, I had dewy eyed thoughts of the TV show while listening, but you don’t need a mushroom zombie outbreak to appreciate this song; it can make you dewy-eyed all on its own. The soaring vocals of Ronstadt, lifting through the clouds on wings of triumphant anguish, is just something your ears have to experience. Never has loving and lost been more worth it.

At 4:22 “Long Long Time” is the longest tune on the record, but it is still over way too soon on every listen. Did I rewind it and give it a second go, in a near violation of CD Odyssey rules? Reader, I did.

The record ends strong, with a brilliant tune by Bernie Leadon and ex-Byrd Gene Clark, “He Dark the Sun”. Clark is the most under-rated Byrd to ever play with the band (the most over-rated being David Crosby) and Ronstadt is a worthy vessel for this exceptional tune.

The record ends with a worship tune (“Life Is Like a Mountain Railway”) which had me thinking of country music’s earliest beginnings. It didn’t convert me, but it did reveal true beauty to me in under three and a half minutes, and that was more than enough.

My copy of “Silk Purse” is re-mastered but I didn’t love the result. I suspect the tinny sound of the record is part of its original aesthetic, as Ronstadt was still very much in a “homespun” kind of mode on this record. I would have preferred a bigger, richer sound with a bit more oomph in the lower end. However, it doesn’t ruin the record, which despite not being her best is still a fine selection of tunes.

Best tracks: Long Long Time, Louise, He Dark the Sun

CD Odyssey Disc 1623: Linda Ronstadt

I’ve been piling through this next artist’s back catalogue with wild abandon, which is he best way to pile through a thing. It is OK to pick through a back catalogue as well, but that should be done with discerning care.

Disc 1623 is…Prisoner in Disguise

Artist: Linda Ronstadt

Year of Release: 1975

What’s up with the Cover?  Linda sits on the floor of what is either a photo studio or an oubliette. If she is a prisoner here her disguise is a lovely sun dress and heels, which is not usual attire for serving time in an oubliette.

How I Came To Know It: I grew up listening to Linda Ronstadt but never got into her music directly until a few years ago. This album proved hard to find, then out of the blue a used copy showed up at my record store just last week. It pays to always check the stacks, even if you don’t think you’ll find what you’re looking for.

How It Stacks Up: I have seven of Linda Ronstadt’s studio albums, which is a far cry from the 28 she released, but I’ve now got most of the ones I want to own (I’m still missing “Mad Love” but then I’m done). Of the seven I have, I’ll put it in at #5, which just shows how great Linda Ronstadt is.

Rating: 4 stars

As Frank Sinatra teaches us, if you aren’t going to write your own songs, then you’ll need two things for success: a fantastic voice and a keen ear for picking the right songs to match it.

Like Sinatra, Linda Ronstadt has an incredible voice, but she has an advantage Frank could never manage; a versatility that lets her seamlessly adapt it to a half-dozen different styles. Sinatra is always that easy listening jazz crooner. Ronstadt can be a sweet country girl, a counter culture California hippy, or an R&B soul singer, all with equal authenticity.

The record’s opening number feels determined to prove my thesis wrong. Sure “Love is a Rose” was a small hit, and yeah, as a kid I liked it on a.m. radio just fine. But despite the beautiful lilting melody, this song gets tired quickly.

Nope, on “Prisoner in Disguise” give me the deeper cuts. Like her cover of James Taylor’s “Hey Mister, That’s Me Up On the Jukebox.” Sure this is more traditional Ronstadt going soulful country at a time when she was expanding in a half-dozen different musical directions, but sometimes the old sound is what I want, particularly when it is this sublime. When the chorus hits and the pedal steel hits, Linda’s inimitable tone will have you swaying and feeling all the feels.

I also dug her cover of Little Feat’s “Roll Um Easy” which is that “California hippy” rock and roll I mentioned earlier. This is one of my favourite Little Feat songs but just like the original, Ronstadt’s was never a hit. Ridiculous.

Then when you think she can’t shift gears any more she takes a classic like “Many Rivers to Cross” and, just voice and piano, she breaks every pane of stained glass in your heart. You might’ve thought your heart was made of meat and muscle, but this song will quickly clarify it is brittle, vulnerable, and liable to sharp-edged pain when given the right stimulus. This is the right stimulus.

Ronstadt also covers “I Will Always Love You”. I know what you’re thinking. She’s crazy to cover anything ever sung by…Dolly Parton, but this song is just as strong as the original. A little less quaver, and a bit more power down on the chorus, just like Whitney would do…17 years later, mind you.

The album’s other (lesser) hit was Smokey Robinson’s “Tracks of My Tears” which landed top 10 on the Adult Contemporary Chart and blipped a couple of other places. It ain’t quite R&B, but it is the Ronstadt equivalent, and deserves a lot more love than it got. This is not just for Ronstadt’s vocals, but also the great musicianship – something consistent across the record.

I wanted to say “Prisoner in Disguise” suffered from identity crisis with all these different styles battling away, but it feels smooth and natural throughout. A testament to one of music’s greatest voices.

Best tracks: Hey Mister That’s Me Up On the Jukebox, Roll Um Easy, Tracks of My Tears, Many Rivers to Cross, I Will Always Love You

CD Odyssey Disc 1594: Linda Ronstadt

For the second straight review I find myself in love with an artist’s voice, but not always with the songs she chooses to sing with it.

Disc 1594 is…. Living in the USA

Artist: Linda Ronstadt

Year of Release: 1978

What’s up with the Cover?  Caught in the Crushing Hallway Trap, Linda desperately tries to hold the walls back. Our heroine is doubly disadvantaged in her struggle: first because it is hard to get good leverage on roller skates, and second because that 1978 perm job can really sap a girl’s confidence.

How I Came To Know It: This was just me recently giving Ronstadt’s discography an even deeper dive, and finding a few more gems in the process.

How It Stacks Up: My ever-growing Linda Ronstadt collection is now at six records (and I’m hunting for two more). Unfortunately, one of these has to be last, and “Living in the USA” is it. #6.

Ratings: 2 stars but almost 3

Linda Ronstadt has one of those voices so sublime she could sing any song in any style. Of course, that doesn’t mean she should. “Living in the USA” is a bit of both experiences – a few gems, and some other songs that, for all their technical excellence, feel like square pegs in round holes.

The record begins with one of the latter, with her covering Chuck Berry’s “Back in the USA”. Can she sing it? Absolutely? Does she have a better voice than ole’ Chuck? You bet she does. But that doesn’t mean this song suits her vibe, and I found it a bit awkward. Similarly “Just One Look” feels a bit stilted, although I think it is just that I’m thoroughly done with that song: a weary fact well outside of Linda Ronstadt’s control.

At other times, Ronstadt falls into the old trap many great vocalists do, which is that you can tell she is very conscious of the fact that she is SINGING. You’ll see this a lot on singing competition programs, where having a great vocal is put in front of making the song emote. On “Living in the USA” we have a few such culprits, the worst being the old thirties classic “When I Grow Too Old to Dream” which ends with a powerhouse, “look at me” moment that felt like a pageant performance. And on “Ooh Baby Baby” she almost puts Smokey Robinson to shame with that high “ooh-ooh-ooh” hook, but for all its perfection, it just didn’t resonate with me. It didn’t help that the song was suffused with neo-eighties saxophone noodles.

Weirdly the saxophone flourishes didn’t bother me much at all on her cover of Elvis Costello’s “Alison”. Here they replace the guitar licks of the original, which is not the way I would have gone if I’d been in the studio. That said, any replacement of Costello’s affected warble with the artistry of Linda Ronstadt’s vocals is a welcome upgrade. Here, Ronstadt gives one of her best performances on the record, mixing that down to earth storyteller vibe she possesses, with the sweet power of her tone.

Also great is her cover of Warren Zevon’s “Mohammed’s Radio”. Something about covering Zevon makes Linda Ronstadt come alive. She just gets his songwriting, and this is one of her best. I could listen to Linda Ronstadt belt out this tune every day until I die and never tire of it. It is sheer brilliance.

My last favourite was also a cover, but this time it was a song I’d never heard before. Near the end of the record, we are treated to a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “Blowing Away” (well, Eric Kaz wrote it, but you know what I mean). Like “When I Get Too Old to Dream” this song is a master class vocal performance, but here Ronstadt pours pure emotion into the performance. When that first step-down occurs in the melody, and Ronstadt sings “Love is blind, and it cannot find me” it will break your heart.

Despite some other tunes that are either poor matches for Linda Ronstadt’s vibe, or just feel like she’s trying too hard, the greatness of a few songs ended up being enough for me to keep this record in my collection.

Best tracks: Alison, Mohammed’s Radio, Blowing Away

CD Odyssey Disc 1577: Linda Ronstadt

Hard news yesterday, with the report that Olivia Newton-John had died at the age of just 73. Rest easy, Olivia and know that wherever you are…a million lights are dancing and there you are, a shooting star.

Disc 1577 is…. Hand Sown…Home Grown

Artist: Linda Ronstadt

Year of Release: 1969

What’s up with the Cover?  Who is this mysterious forest angel flowing toward me, with the morning light cascading behind her?

Fear not my friends, it is Linda Ronstadt. And if she is going to whisk your soul away, you’ll at least get a pretty song out of the experience. Perhaps the whippoorwills will sing backup…

How I Came To Know It: I’ve known Linda Ronstadt since I was a kid, but never knew this particular record until about ten years ago when I was digging through her discography. It was hard to find on CD back then, but not only did I find a copy earlier this year, I also found a “3 in 1” CD with her first three records on it. All the same great music, but less space on the shelves.

How It Stacks Up: I now have five Linda Ronstadt albums (when I last reviewed one I only had two, but I’ve been busy). All those records are from the early part of her career, and competition in that golden era is tough. “Hand Sown…Home Grown is great, but I can’t rank it higher than #4.

Ratings: 4 stars

On “Hand Sown…Home Grown”, Linda Ronstadt opts for a wholesome vibe that lands somewhere between flower power and Tammy Wynette. It is sweet and simple, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it is undercooked; Ronstadt’s voice will roast you alive with its power.

Linda Ronstadt would go on to try on a lot of styles in her career, but the simplicity of her first record is a treat. It’s unadorned, yes, but it has a natural tone and vibrancy that makes it the Helen of Troy of sound. This voice would launch a thousand ships and burn the topless towers of Ilium. So, you know, a classic.

Ronstadt has the same power as Johnny Cash; once she covers one of your songs that song belongs to her. It is fitting then that the opening tune is a Dylan song, “Baby You’ve Been on My Mind” which Cash himself had covered four years earlier on “Orange Blossom Special.” Cash took it from Dylan, but Ronstadt just as deftly wrests it from Cash’s grip. Here she does something few singers can do, belting at full throttle and yet suffusing every phrase with passion and import.

Another standout is her cover of Waylon Jennings’ “The Only Mama That’ll Walk the Line” as she hits with all the considerable sass and jump that this barroom two-step classic deserves. This song also exemplifies some solid musicianship from the backing band. While “Hand Sown…Home Grown” doesn’t have any memorable hits, at least the studio surrounded Ronstadt with some great players.

Sassy tunes like “Break My Mind” are simultaneously filled with heartache and triumph, both dialed up to 11. It had me thinking of modern acts like Jaime Wyatt, and how much this style of country music owes to the sound of early masters like Linda Ronstadt.

Even songs where the subject feels a bit stilted worked for me. For example, “We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (and a Lot Less Rock and Roll)” is pure preachin’ action. While I wanted to be offended at this offhanded attack on the glory of rock and roll, instead I found myself swaying to the siren’s call of the pulpit, at least if the preacher can sing like this. It helped knowing that on future records Ronstadt would come around to embrace rock and roll after all.

I’m fairly biased in favour of singer-songwriters. I just like the combo, and so for someone to impress me with a bunch of other peoples’ songs requires some top tier stuff. Fortunately Ronstadt is as good as it gets, an iconic voice that can still blow the door down and then break your heart, more than 50 years after she first cut these tracks.

Best tracks: Baby You’ve Been On My Mind, The Only Mama That’ll Walk the Line, Silver Threads and Golden Needles, The Long Way Around, Break My Mind

CD Odyssey Disc 1419: Linda Ronstadt

For the second straight time the Odyssey has given me a powerhouse singer with a penchant for genre jumping.

Disc 1419 is…. Self-Titled

Artist: Linda Ronstadt

Year of Release: 1972

What’s up with the Cover? It’s the return of the Giant Head Cover! Long-time readers (both of you) will know my long-standing obsession with the many Giant Head Covers music has to offer. This one is a good one, being Linda Ronstadt’s head, although the straight-ahead stare is a little intense.

How I Came To Know It: I have known Linda Ronstadt most of my life. This particular album is the result of me going through her back catalogue, primarily digging for Warren Zevon covers. This album has none of those, but it is still one of her better efforts.

How It Stacks Up: I have two Linda Ronstadt albums, and am on the hunt for two more. Of the two I have her self-titled effort comes in second to “Simple Dreams” (reviewed back at Disc 1278).

Ratings: 4 stars

Linda Ronstadt doesn’t write any of the songs on her eponymous third album, but when you have a voice like hers who wrote the songs fades into the background; you’re just glad she’s singing them.

The record is a bit of a hodgepodge on the surface, but underneath you can see Ronstadt has two motivations. First, she’s deliberately trying on multiple styles of music – flipping through old school country, folk, and even a little R&B. You might think this is her trying to expand her audience (she was not yet a superstar). That is probably partly true, but from what I know about her, she had a genuine interest in a lot of different kinds of music.

Her other reason is to show off those pipes. She likes singing the hard ones and she’s not afraid to take on songs made classic by someone else. Never is this more evident than her cover of Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces”. That takes balls, but Ronstadt’s version is every bit as good, and different enough to not feel derivative.

I like every direction she goes. The record starts with Jackson Browne’s “Rock Me On the Water”. It is a strong start and even if you’re not a Christian (I’m not) you’ll still appreciate the spiritual uplift the song gives you.

“I Won’t Be Hangin’ Round” is a bluesy number, with some great decisions in the arrangement, particularly that chorus of backup singers adding flourishes in just the right places.

At this point I should note that the arranger for all the songs is none other than Glenn Frey. Yes, that Glenn Frey. Ronstadt had Frey, Don Meisner and Don Henley in her backing band, which is where they met and decided to go off and form a band called the Eagles. You may have heard of them. Anyway, long-time readers will know I’ve poked a bit of fun at Glenn Frey over the years (he is a founding member of my mythical “worst castoffs” band, DEF GORF). I’m not repenting on those comments, but I will say Frey does a fabulous job on this record of putting these songs together that showcases Ronstadt’s voice and also her musical diversity.

Back to those style choices. On her cover of Livingston Taylor’s “In My Reply” she takes his country song and moves it solidly into folk territory. Ronstadt infuses Taylor’s tale of little white lies with whole new layers of heartbreak. You hang on every word and feel for every character and when it ends three and a half minutes later, you are a bit sad, but want to go back and listen to it all over again.

That’s generally true for the record as well, which comes in at a very close-shaved 31 minutes. I wanted a little bit more, but too short is better than too long. Leave ‘em wanting more, Linda.

The album ends with the Motown classic, “Rescue Me.” You’d think all this R&B groove would be the wrong fit for Ronstadt, but you’d be wrong. She settles down in the pocket with natural ease and lets the soul flow. She even makes the song fit well alongside everything that came before.

This record didn’t make Ronstadt any serious money back in the day (it peaked at #35 on the U.S. country charts and didn’t register beyond that). I guess it took a while for people to realize that getting a record with more than one kind of music is a good thing in the right hands.

Best tracks: Rock Me on the Water, I Won’t Be Hangin’ Round, In My Reply, I Fall to Pieces, Rescue Me

CD Odyssey Disc 1278: Linda Ronstadt

After almost five days of being a bachelor, Sheila returned today from a solo vacation in Eastern Canada. I’m bagged after a hard day of work and Sheila is jet-lagged (she’s taking a nap as I write this) but it feels great to have her home. In about an hour I’m going to gently wake her and then, as Leonard Cohen would say, we’re going to “get lost in that hopeless little screen.”

But first, I’m going to write this review. This one features the second straight album from 1977.

Disc 1278 is… Simple Dreams

Artist: Linda Ronstadt

Year of Release: 1977

What’s up with the Cover? Linda puts her face on and, presumably at some point thereafter, her clothes. This cover would be a lot better if that annoying “Prix Special Price” graphic wasn’t there. No that is not a sticker, it is a permanent marring of what is an otherwise very sexy, very sultry album cover.

How I Came to Know It: Linda Ronstadt was a mainstay on AM radio when I was a kid, but I had never previously owned any of her albums. Then about a month ago I decided to check out her discography and see if anything appealed. Four albums did, and “Simple Dreams” was the first one I found that made the shortlist.

How It Stacks Up:  I plan to eventually have four Linda Ronstadt albums, but for now this is the only one, so it can’t really stack up.

Ratings: 4 stars

Modern audiences might be inclined to dismiss Linda Ronstadt as just another cover singer, not realizing the incredible talent that is required to take 10 songs written by, and for, strangers and then make every one of them indelibly your own. Ronstadt had already proven her ability to do it seven times, but her eighth record, - “Simple Dreams” – is her best work yet.

It all starts with that voice: laden with sweetness or hurt depending on the demands of the song, Ronstadt has a rare talent that makes you hang on every word. Artists like Emmylou Harris have a quaver that makes your hair stand up on edge, and Brandi Carlile has a wild power that threatens to blow you over but Ronstadt’s voice is all about purity. Many singers with perfect pitch like this can end up sounding detached, but Ronstadt sells every word with vulnerable emotion.

She also demonstrates an ability to adapt to any style and never sound false or strained. “Simple Dreams” features songs that could appear on pop, easy listening, down-home country or hard rock records. At one point she gently sings an acoustic folk song (“Maybe I’m Right”) and then launches straight into the ragged rock of the Stones’ “Tumbling Dice.” She converts each of them to her own style just enough that they don’t sound awkward beside one another, but not so much that they lose their spirit. She’s the centerpiece of the record, and the songs rotate around her.

It doesn’t hurt that “Simple Dreams” has such a wonderfully curated collection of songs for Ronstadt to show off with. When she’s not showing up the Rolling Stones, she covers Buddy Holly (“It’s So Easy) and Roy Orbison (“Blue Bayou”). “Blue Bayou” is a masterpiece of arrangement and vocal performance. Starting slow with a single bass guitar riff and Ronstadt singing a meandering reverie. As other instruments join her voice swells up into the sweet centre of her range. At the end she soars into a big beautiful note that hangs in the air like a moon over water.

My favourite thing about “Simple Dreams” are Ronstadt’s covers of  Warren Zevon songs. Ronstadt titled her previous album “Hasten Down the Wind” after her first cover of his work. On “Simple Things” she doubles down with two songs, “Carmelita” and “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me.” “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me” is such a rousing cover and so successful that when I heard Zevon’s version my first thought was “what’s this? A Linda Ronstadt cover?” I still like his original, but once you hear the cover, Linda Ronstad’s vocals are always floating in the back of your mind.

“Carmelita” is a less well-known, but equally brilliant track. The song is about a down-and-out heroin addict, penniless and pining for his lover in between trying to score. It’s hard to imagine a voice so sweet telling a story so sad, but hearing that voice drop lines like:

“Carmelita, hold me tighter, I think I’m sinkin’ down.

And I’m all strung out on heroin/on the outskirts of town”

Delivers its own brand of heartache; sweet, vulnerable and quietly tragic.

The production on “Simple Dreams” at times felt a touch too on point, but if you don’t mind the purity of studio sound (which I don’t) this won’t irk you overmuch. Besides, all that studio talent means there is plenty of brilliant playing on the record, and even a few notable guest vocals along the way (Don Henley and Dolly Parton). However great players and famous singers alike take a back seat to the star of this record; Linda Ronstadt in full throat, making every song her own.

Best tracks: It’s So Easy, Carmelita, Blue Bayou, Poor Poor Pitiful Me, Tumbling Dice

CD Odyssey Disc 987: Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris

Spring was in the air today as I walked home. Cherry trees blossomed and the sun felt like it might soon be sufficiently bold to kick winter to the curb for good. Well, for six months or so anyway.

Disc 987 is…Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions

Artist: Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris

Year of Release: 1999

What’s up with the Cover? The ladies look like they are part of a wedding party – a super-hot wedding party!

Later they’ll stand gracefully beside the bride in a garden photo shoot. The bride will have a strained smile on her face as she wonders why she told the bridesmaids to wear white, and how much better Emmylou and Linda look in it than she does. Later she’ll blame the maid of honour for a night on the town the previous evening that left bags under her eyes, then get too drunk at the reception and fall in the hotel fountain.

I have a vivid imagination.

How I Came To Know It: I just bought this album in the last couple of months. I think my coworker Sam alerted me to it and a used copy coincidentally showed up a few weeks later.

How It Stacks Up:  I only have one album with this particular pairing but I have three Emmylou Harris albums where she partners up with another singer. Of the three, “Western Wall” is about even with her Rodney Crowell collaboration, “Old Yellow Moon” but behind “All the Road Running” with Mark Knopfler.

Ratings: 3 stars

What’s better than one of country music’s most defining voices? Two of those voices, of course! On “Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions” CD Odyssey frequent flier Emmylou Harris teams up with fellow chanteuse (and Odyssey newcomer) Linda Ronstadt to take some great songs and make them their own.

Emmylou is famous for the sheer volume of her collaborations. She is so prolific she has five separate Wikipedia pages cataloguing them all. Seriously, check it out. With her emotive quaver and natural airy range, Emmylou can make anyone sound good: Bob Dylan, Guy Clark, you name it – and that’s just from the A-F section of the Wiki pages.

So when she teams up with Linda Ronstadt, with her power, range and thick rich tone, good things are going to happen. Together, the two women sing duets, sometimes taking turns on the verses, sometimes blending into harmony where both the richness and the quaver find a delightful balance. This is candy for the ears.

Access to material was obviously not an issue, either, because “Western Wall” is packed with famous songwriters ‘lending’ their tunes. The album features songs written by Jackson Browne, Roseanne Cash, Sinead O’Connor, Leonard Cohen, the McGarrigle Sisters, Bruce Springsteen and others.

Despite this august company, my favourite track is by lesser known Andy Prieboy. Harris and Ronstadt cover Prieboy’s “Loving the Highway Man,” which is about a woman who is ostracized for falling in with an outlaw. The song has amazing production. It mixes ethereal electric guitar, sweet but stark vocals and some well-placed percussion that emphasizes the frustration of the character’s bad decisions like a fist beating a wall.

As usual, Emmylou quietly slips in a couple songs of her own which are every bit the equal of the covers. “Raise the Dead” is a retrospective of Emmylou’s career (already long, and this was 17 years ago). It has a nice mix of bluegrass, country and rock tinges around the edge. Even Ronstadt wisely takes a back seat here and lets Emmylou tell the tale of the musicians that fell before her, and how she knows she’s trapped by the same calling until it’s her time to follow.

Not so good is Harris’ “Sweet Spot” (co-written with Jill Cunniff) which suffers from some very unfortunate production decisions, including a weird echo of some lines flashing only in the right speaker. It felt like my headphones were shorting out. When I realized it was on purpose it made it worse.

“Sweet Spot” is also one of a number of songs on “Western Wall” that feel a bit too…motherly. On this track and Sinead O’Connor’s “This Is to Mother You” it sounds like the duo are going to bake you some cookies or bring you soup in bed. It is all just a little domestic. Worst of all, this vibe seeps into Leonard Cohen’s “Sisters of Mercy.” It was hard to hear two of my favourite vocalists take one of my favourite Cohen songs and trade its weary respite for a peace that felt just a little too perfect.

“1917” is a nice juxtaposition to this vibe. It tells the story of a French woman having an affair with a soldier on leave from the front. The motherly concern is here as well, but it is intertwined with a steamy romance that is so intimate it is a little uncomfortable to listen to; like you are hearing something that should rightly be between the two lovers alone.

When “Western Wall” sticks the landing, it feels like magic. The musicians are top notch, and the production is sharp, clear and in service to the amazing voices of Ronstadt and Harris. When it misses, the production is overblown, leaving the vocals saccharine and trite. Overall, though, it hits a lot more than it misses, and when you have these two singers it is hard to go far wrong.

Best tracks: Lovin’ the Highway Man, Raise the Dead, For a Dancer, Western Wall, 1917