Music review: Linda Ronstadt — ‘Duets’
Since first tasting success as a member of the Stone Poneys with the Top 20 hit 鈥淒ifferent Drum鈥� during the mid-1960s, Linda Ronstadt has gone on to deliver an entertaining assortment of music from the genres of country, folk, jazz, R&B and country-rock.
As a teenager, I developed a mild crush on Ronstadt after purchasing 1977鈥檚 鈥淪imple Dreams鈥� on vinyl. With her stunning girl-next-door looks and warm, robust voice, it was easy to become captivated with the Arizona native as she flawlessly delivered classics like 鈥淚t鈥檚 So Easy,鈥� 鈥淏lue Bayou,鈥� 鈥淧oor Poor Pitiful Me鈥� and the Rolling Stones鈥� 鈥淭umbling Dice.鈥� Years later, Ronstadt would switch musical styles and cover traditional pop standards with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra on the albums 鈥淲hat鈥檚 New,鈥� 鈥淟ush Life鈥� and 鈥淔or Sentimental Reasons.鈥�
Following Ronstadt鈥檚 recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 鈥淒uets鈥� solidifies a first-rate career with 14 tracks originally released between 1974 and 2006, as well as a previously unreleased recording. After recently announcing that Parkinson鈥檚 disease has put an end to the 67-year-old鈥檚 singing career, the new album serves as a memorable reminder of the wondrous talent the versatile artist possesses on collaborations with artists like James Taylor, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton, Aaron Neville, Carl Jackson and Emmylou Harris. Highlights of the album include 鈥淗asten Down the Wind鈥� with Don Henley, 鈥淧risoner in Disguise鈥� with J.D. Souther, 鈥淚 Think It鈥檚 Gonna Work Out Fine鈥� with Taylor and a heartbreaking cover of Hank Williams鈥� 鈥淚 Can鈥檛 Help It (If I鈥檓 Still in Love with You)鈥� with Harris. Casual followers of Ronstadt will be pleased to hear stirring versions of 鈥淪omewhere Out There鈥� with James Ingram and 鈥淒on鈥檛 Know Much鈥� with Neville and the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra. 鈥淒uets鈥� is a reflective and nostalgic journey that is navigated by one of the most recognizable voices in music.