![]() 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. 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. 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. 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. Like the best moments of the preceding nine, though, the best moments of Hasten down the Wind will be with us a long, long time.During the 1970s and into the 1980s, Linda Ronstadt emerged as the best and most versatile contemporary female vocalist. ![]() But it is, despite its flaws, a fine album that begs closer inspection than, I fear, many of us are willing to give to Linda Ronstadt’s art. After the tumult of “Try Me Again,” “Crazy” is rather a boozy coda a “what the hell, you gotta give love a try” barroom ballad that is lighthearted and loose enough for Ronstadt to falter on the last line without destroying the mood. ![]() Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” an inspired choice, follows. Near the end of the song, Gold hammers out angry piano chords beneath Dan Dugmore’s sorrowful steel guitar lines, then comes back with a powerful guitar solo that is the instrumental topping for the quintessential Ronstadt performance. Realization and abject resignation in the second verse turn into frustration by the third (“When you say you tried/And you know you lied/My hands are tied”), which elicits the final, desperate plea of the title. The song’s theme summons from Ronstadt myriad emotions midway through the first verse, she is befuddled - not yet wanting to admit what is going on in her life: Ultimately, there is the Ronstadt-Gold song, “Try Me Again.” As in “Love Has No Pride” and “Long Long Time,” something precious is at stake here. She simply allows the beauty of this well-structured song to speak for itself. She doesn’t battle the instruments she doesn’t strain for high notes. She sounds at peace with herself as she sings of foolish lovers who don’t take the time to discover love’s true meaning. Ronstadt’s interpretation is extraordinarily subtle, sly and witty. Swirling electric piano figures and a barely audible mandolin establish an irresistibly exotic ambiance. Ry Cooder’s “The Tattler” is one of the album’s two gems. Her reading could be tougher, but the music behind it - particularly the solo sparring between guitarists Andrew Gold and Waddy Wachtel - has enough bite to overcome the vocal shortcomings. The version of “That’ll Be the Day” included here neither alters my feelings for nor threatens the Buddy Holly original. ![]() I’ve always appreciated Ronstadt’s good-natured approach to her remakes of rock ‘n’ roll oldies. And in a few instances it’s as good as anything Ronstadt has done. Worse still, one verse of an immaculately beautiful reggae song, “Rivers of Babylon,” is ruined by being used as a prelude to “Give One Heart.” No amount of sweetening can rescue lyrics as inane as “That’s the paradox of I love you” or “If your baby loves you right/You can have skyrockets any old night.” A rock & roll bridge has been punched up, which only makes things worse by forcing a scream from Ronstadt as she tries to move up the scale. Orleans couldn’t salvage it, nor can Ronstadt. The album’s only other major mistake is John and Johanna Hall’s “Give One Heart,” one of the worst songs - reggae or otherwise - I’ve heard.
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