It's hard to consider a
Linda Ronstadt
best-of without the inclusion of her first single with
the Stone Poneys
back in 1968,
"Different Drum,"
written by
Mike Nesmith
of
the Monkees
, but, since it's not here, we'll have to. This
Warner Platinum
collection does have plenty for both the novice and the seasoned listener, including her covers of
the Eagles
"Desperado,"
and
Warren Zevon
's
"Poor Poor Pitiful Me,"
and of course,
Roy Orbison
"Blue Bayou."
There are other things missing as well, but that has more to do with an individual's preference more than with a well-rounded portrait of the diversity and range of hits in
Ronstadt
's career. These exist simply in a wide range of tracks from
Buddy Holly
"That'll Be the Day,"
to the glorious
Motown
nugget
"Heat Wave"
(
Martha Reeves & the Vandellas
struck gold with it back in 1966), or the lilting
"Someone to Lay Down Beside Me."
The simple fact that
could take songs that were bona fide hits with supposedly definitive versions and make them her own is a testament written in stone to her wide-ranging abilities as an interpretive vocalist. Recommended. ~ Thom Jurek