Linda Ronstadt Album: “Hummin' to Myself”

Is there anything Linda Ronstadt cant do? Let's see, she started as a country singer, drifted into pop/rock, dabbled in New Wave and operetta, American songbook standards, Mexican/Spanish language and now jazz. What's left? Rap and Opera? There's still time, Linda! Unlike Streisand, who mostly played it safe on her last CD, Linda has never been afraid to take chances. Take the tricky arrangement on Never Will I Marry. What 60-something singer would risk tackling this, and be able to pull it off?? This is a great set, with expert back up and arrangements. My only big complaint is its too short. Maybe there's another session waiting for us down the road? Among the more sublime cuts: Never Will I Marry; Cry Me A River; Hummin to Myself; DayDream; I've Never Been In Love Before; Get Out of Town and I'll Be Seeing You (one of my favorite songs, I only wish she had repeated the verse, its too short). There isnt a bad cut on here. One could argue technically, Linda isnt a jazz singer, but with a voice like this, why split hairs? Her voice is still beautiful and as crystal clear as a bell. Exquisite.

In the mid-eighties Linda Ronstadt,at the time the arguably most famous woman in rock,took the world by surprise when she recorded a trilogy of albums filled with pre-rock pop and jazz standards under the guidance of legendary conductor/arranger Nelson Riddle(of to name but a few,Frank Sinatra,Nat "King" Cole and Judy Garland fame). All three albums reached platinum status and introduced this great music to an entire new generation of music lovers. Now,with "Hummin'To Myself" Linda makes her return to the Great American Songbook. Not that she ever left this type of music behind,because she has kept on singing these songs in concert ever since,making the predictable remarks that she's now only jumping on the bandwagon created by Rod Stewart misinformed at best and just plain meanspirited at worst.

Anyway,"Hummin'To Myself" is quite different from the Riddle trilogy in that on these Linda was accompanied by an orchestra,and were more of the traditional pop variety,whereas on "Hummin'" Linda is accompanied by a small ensemble of expert musicians and qualifies as a "pure" jazz album. This does not mean that all of a sudden Linda starts scatting,or that she has become an improviser. On the contrary,Linda always stays close to the melody "as it is written" and uses the extraordinary beauty of her voice to demonstrate in a quite un-demonstrative way (contrary to what we are used to from so many power-ballad divas these days) how gorgeous these songs really are. More or less the same approach as that of,say,Jane Monheit or even Ella Fitzgerald on most of her songbook albums.

It has to be said that Linda has grown A LOT as a singer of this type of music since the days of her Riddle albums. Although those were not without merit,Linda sometimes sounded a tiny bit out of her element and stiff on occasion. No such problems here though. If you didn't know any better you would think that the lady has sung this music all of her life. It's in the uptempo material that her progress is the most spectacular. On Tracks like "Never Will I Marry" and "Get Out Of Town" she swings harder and with much more confidence than she did on any of the Riddle stuff.

The ballads are brilliant too. Songs like "Tell Him I Said Hello","Miss Otis Regrets" and "Cry Me A River" are beautifully phrased and benefit greatly from the gorgeous and creamy sound of Linda's voice. This is not the music of a rock singer who tries to sing jazz. This is a "valid" jazz album by one of the best singers of the last 40 years.

Much,but not all of the praise must go to Ronstadt. The arrangements by Alan Broadbent (who also plays the piano) are attractive and varied,and the musicianship from the instrumentalists is first class throughout. Clearly a labour of love from all those involved. Warmly recommended!

I just received this item through airmail from America, because frankly it ain't available in the UK.

I'll keep it brief

Her voice is glorious (the end note of Never Will I Marry and the pitch perfect note at the end of I'll be seeing you, proves my point)

Standout tracks : Never Will I Marry, I'll be seeing you, Get Outta Town, Blue Prelude and Tell Him I said Hello.

Weak Tracks : None

I trully think that Linda's voice is one of the greatest of the last 40 years. Her pitch, clarity and emotion are just perfect and who else thinks that her tone is a little bit like Rosemary Clooney's?

OMG, buy buy buy this album...DON'T DON'T DON'T buy crap like Rod Stewart's feeble attempts. This is the real deal...

BTW, I'm only 19, and English so she does still have the ability to capture new fans!! :D

Few pop artists have transcended the different styles of music as successfully as Linda Ronstadt. Who cares if she's nearing 60? Her voice is as powerful, radiant, playful and emotional as she was when she was 21. And Lord can this gal croon! Backed by a superior musical ensemble, Linda floats through this too short collection of lesser known standards from such songwriters as Frank Loesser, Sammy Fain, Cole Porter, Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn, Gordon Jenkins and others with the greatest of ease. Catch the straightforward and symmpathetic rendering of "Miss Otis Regrets," a tale of a doomed woman's fate; her touching poignancy on "I've Never Been in Love Before,", her playful bantering on "Get Out of Town" and of course her touching rendition of "I'll Be Seeing You."

This CD proves that Linda continues to progress while still satisfying her legion of fans. Other vocalists such as Rod Stewart, Bette Midler and others should listen to this gem and Linda's previous big band collections to see how great singers handle great songs.

It's hard to believe but it has been more than two decades since Linda Ronstadt combined with the legendary Nelson Riddle to produce "What's New", truly one of the great albums of the 1980's. As a result of that remarkable project, Linda has carved out a niche for herself on the American music scene. Now Linda is back with a brand new disc featuring more memorable tunes from the Great American Songbook. "Hummin' To Myself" features the songs of legendary songwriters like Frank Loesser, Cole Porter, Gordon Jenkins, Duke Ellington and Sammy Fain. In addition there are a variety of musical styles represented on this spendid CD. And while a number of other former rock and rollers have taken a crack at this sort of thing, very few of them possess the vocal prowess to pull it off. Indeed, after all is said and done Linda Ronstadt was made to sing the standards.

You will find many all-time favorites on "Hummin' To Myself" including a remake of the 1955 Julie London classic "Cry Me A River". An A+ to all concerned on that one. I also thoroughly enjoyed Linda's intimate interpretation of Cole Porter's "Miss Otis Regrets" which I would submit is her finest performance on this disc. Then for a change of pace there is "Blue Prelude", a Gordon Jenkins composition that features Linda in a more jazzy mode and she pulls it off without skipping a beat. "Never Will I Marry" and a personal favorite "I'll Be Seeing You" help to round out this luscious 11 song set.

If you love the standards, "Hummin' To Myself" is a disc you will play again and again. It is perfect for winding down after a hard day at the office or as the background for a romantic dinner for two. Yes, there's no doubt about it, this is another winner for the former Stone Poney. Highly recommended.