Linda Ronstadt Album: “Winter Light”

One can come up with a lot of different explanations as to why Linda fell out of the public's view in the 1990s, chief among them putting out two more Spanish-language albums after CRY LIKE A RAINSTORM, each of which may have won Grammys but which were critical and commercial bombs.

But that doesn't mean Linda stopped making great music. WINTER LIGHT, released near the end of 1993, is such a fine album that its dismissal by record buyers and critics alike is a real shame. Linda really puts her heart into songs like "Anyone Who Had A Heart" and "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself", two Burt Bacharach/Hal David classics which were made into standards by, respectively, Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield in 1964. Her take on the Beach Boys' 1966 PET SOUNDS track "Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)" is ethereal and dream-like, as is her self-penned title track, written for the 1993 children's film THE SECRET GARDEN.

For me, though, the highlight is "A River For Him", which takes her back into poignant, country-influenced territory. She takes a song written by her longtime pal Emmylou Harris and really makes it into her own, full of tears and heartbreak. The song that follows "River" on the album, "Adonde Voy", a Spanish-language song written by Tex-Mex singer/songwriter and inveterate LR fan Tish Hinojosa, and one that I originally didn't care much, is also a great track, and as great example of Linda's merging of her Mexican, country, and rock influences as "Lo Siento Mi Vida" had been on 1976's HASTEN DOWN THE WIND.

If you're a big Linda Ronstadt fan, don't let this album pass you by. And please don't wait until Linda's no longer around to really appreciate what she has meant to four different generations of female singers.

This much-maligned CD actually features some of Linda's most accomplished vocals. She changes styles and musical genres so quickly and completely that each CD sounds like it could be by an entirely different artist but for that INCREDIBLE voice.

Initially, I though this CD was a little too sleepy, but I have grown to love it and recognize that Linda is an artist that defies categorization. She is also very brave, because no one should have the gall to cover a tune already recorded by Dionne Warwick AND Dusty Springfield(two of the greatest voices of this century.) However, her version of "Anyone Who Had A Heart" is a wild success, it is a testament to Linda's greatness that she found new depth and heartache in a song that has been sung to death.

She works similar magic on the Esther Phillips hit "It's Too Soon To Know" (with Aaron Neville on harmony vocals), and the Beach Boys "Don't Talk". There is not a single bad song in the bunch. Check it out!

This is a very good Linda Ronstadt pop-inflected venture, especially for those of us long time fans that were feeling the withdrawal pangs in the 4 years since her wonderful CRY LIKE A RAINSTORM, HOWL LIKE THE WIND.

As always, Miss Ronstadt sets the bar really high. She loves a challenge and this time she decides to cover 3 monster pop songs, that will perhaps forever be identified with the ladies who made them hits. (and she acknowledges this in her liner notes as well..)

Ronstadt does not disappoint. although she didn't always erase the original from my mind. She tackle's "Anyone Who Had A Heart" and makes a powerful wedge in Dionne Warwick's grasp on Bacharach & David. She belts out "Oh No, Not My Baby" with tremendous gusto, but still she's no Maxine Brown (even Dusty Springfield's cover of Brown's version somehow fits better than Ronstadt's.)

And then she tries her vocal chords on "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself", Dusty Springfield's iconic trip into self-deprecation and despair. While vocally she soars, emotionally, Ronstadt is still holding back. Ronstadt's often "guarded" quality never seems to serve her well in the more melodramatic arenas that Dusty Springfield could always navigate so well. So while she does a beautiful job vocally, overall, the track is missing something.

But nevermind that..why even bother critiquing the covers, when some of the other material is so first rate?

The opener, "Heartbeats Accelerating" is brilliant and my favorite track. It's haunting, yet soothing..like Enya but with bite. The production is wonderful as well.

"Don't Talk, Put Your Head On My Shoulder", works wonderfully for her, and "Adonde Voy", shows off her ability with a Spanish lyric in a more pop way than her 3 previous Latin albums did.

Overall, this is a very good effort from the 90s Linda, and you've got to give her credit for always challenging herself. That being said, I think on her next pop album FEELS LIKE HOME, she really hits her stride.

Linda Ronstadt's 1993 album WINTER LIGHT stands as one of her most underrated albums, and in my opinion, one of her best albums ever. This is her first pop album since 1989's CRY LIKE A RAINSTORM, HOWL LIKE THE WIND. She sets the bar high on the album, covering some monster hits from the 60s, and she more than gives them her style. She makes them her own. She covers songs by Dusty Springfield, Etta James, Dionne Warwick and Maxine Browne. I love her cover of Emmylou Harris' "A River For Him", a poignant ballad that is rich in lyric and vocals. Her version of Jimmy Webb's "Do What You Gotta Do", some excellent, top notch vocals from Linda. One of my favorites on the album is her rendition of "Oh No, Not My Baby", which sounds like it was written just for her she sings it so well. "Anyone Who Had A Heart", "It's Too Soon To Know" and "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" are all strong songs as well, standing as highlights on the album. The Spanish song "Avonde Voy" integrates pop well into the music, and is a little more enjoyable than the stuff on her 3 latin-language albums. Other highlights include the blissful "Heartbeats Accelerating", which is a beautiful piece of music. The album closes with the title track, a lullaby like song that did appear on a children's album she did in 1996.

The Cd is very emotional and the words of each song give messages about the fellow man and the love that people feels for others. Moerover, there are songs that show kinds of nostalgia. For instance, " Herabeits Accelerating" express the love of waiting someone who is absent. Finally, the " Winter Light" song was part of the movie " The secret garden" where express the feeling for the lovely individual.