Linda Ronstadt Album: “Round Midnight: The Nelson Riddle Sessions”

Linda Ronstadt's " 'Round Midnight" is, in a word, superb. Paired here with a lush orchestral backing arranged by the late great Nelson Riddle, she will knock the socks off any naysayer who says she oughtn't to touch the great standards of Cole Porter, Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart, Hoagy Carmichael, and more. She not only touches them--with her interpretations here, she helps them transcend their time (most notably, the rich musical period in American music between 1920 and 1945).

Ronstadt allows herself to be set up when, on the opening number of "What's New," we are serenaded with strings. Wondering how she can possibly stand up to this, we are utterly transfixed when she comes in with that crème brulée voice of hers and asks, "What's new/How is the world treating you?" From then on out, the listener is in the palm of Ronstadt's hand. I'm glad to report that it's a lovely place to be. On "I've Got a Crush on You"--the very next song--there are new delights to be mined. Ronstadt wraps her voice around the lyrics with a sinuousness that underscores the flirtatiousness of the words. She manages to combine sex and innocence beautifully here. "Crazy He Calls Me" has Ronstadt swearing allegiance to her lover by swearing to move mountains, go through fire, whatever it takes to make him happy. She makes this promises with a musical shrug ("The difficult I'll do right now/The impossible will take a little while") that's impossible to resist. The winsome "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance" gets full-on Ronstadt saucer-eyed treatment, and the result is irresistible. She practically coos here, without ever sliding over the edge into self-parody. "Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)" is like a love song dipped into caramel. The sound is slowed down, rich, something that requires contemplative attention--which Ronstadt gives it here in spades. It's a rich and mature lamentation on lost love, and she treats the lyrics with an attention and respect that reveals a whole mosaic of feeling underneath.

My own personal favorite is the lovely Hoagy Carmichael tune "Skylark." The song opens with a shimmering strings arrangement, done so delicately as to conjure up fairies flying around the woods at dusk. A harmonica adds a grounding note underpinning the entire song, at the end winding up into a curlicue of sweet regret and memory. It's a masterful performance, and a masterful arrangement by the prodigiously talented Nelson Riddle.

Other stand-outs here include "It Never Entered My Mind" (with the bittersweet regret inherent in lyrics like "I never go to shows at night/But just to matinées now/I see the show and home I go"); "Mean to Me" with its muted guitarwork; "You Took Advantage of Me," with its smoothy-smooth saxophones, brilliant brass section, and the wink in Ronstadt's voice as she sassily sings "What's the use, you've cooked my goose/You took advantage of me"; "My Old Flame," which has the most thrillingly drawn-out notes on the album (Ronstadt almost seems here to make a virtue of regret); Billy Strayhorn's justly famed "Lush Life," on which glowering piano provides dark counterpoint to Ronstadt's glowing vocal work; a surprisingly lovely and unsentimental "When You Wish Upon A Star"; and a moody and almost unbearably intimate version of " 'Round Midnight." There are treasures for every listener here, and rewards anew with each additional listening.

It seems inconceivable to me that I bought Linda Ronstadt's WHAT'S NEW way back in 1983! This was her first collaboration with the magnificent Nelson Riddle, and they were to follow up with two more equally fabulous albums, LUSH LIFE (1984) and FOR SENTIMENTAL REASONS (1986). At the time, I was a mid twenties guy who would be, as likely as not, listening to Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd. These albums certainly seemed to be out of place on my record shelf. I got more than my fair share of strange comments and askew looks from my friends when I would put one of these albums on to play, but I did not care. These albums introduced me to many of the jazz and swing standards, from Gershwin and Berlin, to Hoagy Carmichael, Rogers and Hart. From these albums, I moved on to create a respectable library of some of the most wonderful music ever written, performed by some of the greatest artists of the twentieth century.

Linda Ronstadt's voice is enchanting and I prefer many of her versions over some of the giants in the genre like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney and Julie London. On a few songs, her phrasing isn't perfect and her tone is occasionally a bit inconsistent, but overall she did a remarkable job of making familiar classics her own. Among my absolute favorites on this collection are I DON'T STAND A GHOST OF A CHANCE; GOOD-BYE; BEWITCHED, BOTHERED AND BEWILDERED; and Monk's immortal `ROUND MIDNIGHT.

But let's give credit where it is really due: Nelson Riddle was perhaps the best arranger and conductor of this music ever, as was testified by those same great artists and many others who would seek him out to work on their albums. It is fitting that his final efforts resulted in such a great collection of songs, wonderfully performed.

Of course, when I first purchased these albums, they were on vinyl. By the early 90's the albums had been worn and scratched to the point of being nearly unplayable. After that, I wore out cassettes I had recorded from my albums. What a relief to me that Asylum chose to release all three albums as a double CD package, and now in 00's I have them downloaded digitally onto my MP3 player. A month probably hasn't gone by in over twenty years that I haven't played at least a few of these songs. I cannot imagine that in another twenty years, regardless of the format we'll all be using, that I'll have grown any less fond of these songs.

I don't know how Linda came to team up with Nelson Riddle to record the three albums that make up this double CD, but it was a truly inspired pairing. A few of these songs are famous, particularly When I fall in love and When you wish upon a star, but many of them will only be known to those familiar with the songs of the twenties, thirties and forties.

With Nelson Riddle and his orchestra providing the backing, Linda mostly sings lush ballads. I list some of the songs with their original hit-makers - note that where a song was a hit for several artists, only the biggest is given - which is not necessarily the most famous. In some cases, a cover version was a bigger hit a few years later. For example, Bewitched was a minor hit in 1941 for Leo Reisman, but six versions hit the top ten in 1950. Five others charted higher than Doris Day, but her version is the one you are most likely to come across. On the other hand, When I fall in love was originally a hit for Doris Day, but Nat King Cole had a huge British hit with the song.

What's new (Bing Crosby)

Someone to watch over me (Gertrude Lawrence)

I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you (Bing Crosby)

What'll I do (Paul Whiteman)

Skylark (Dinah Shore)

Mean to me (Ruth Etting)

You took advantage of me (Paul Whiteman)

Sophisticated lady (Duke Ellington)

My old flame (Guy Lombardo)

You go to my head (Larry Clinton)

But not for me (Harry James)

I get along without you very well (Red Norvo)

Am I blue (Ethel Waters)

I love you for sentimental reasons (Nat King Cole)

Straighten up and fly right (Andrews sisters)

Little girl blue (Margaret Whiting)

Linda and Nelson's choice of songs is impeccable. Perhaps they would have continued to record together, but Nelson died in 1985 following years of poor health - given his health, the quality of these recordings is even more remarkable.

I didn't remember just how much I loved this collection until I happened to put it into my player again, almost by accident. Although some people (Rex Reed, for instance) said that Linda R. didn't have enough experience under her belt to do justice to songs like "Lush Life," I thought she was marvelous. (Not to take anything away from Ann Hampton Callaway's rendition.) The combination of Riddle arrangements, the song programming, and her voice made this my favorite when I bought it, and now that I've listened again, it's back on my playlist!

Linda Ronstadt's "'Round Midnight" is so seamless, so consistent, and so engaging that it is difficult to single out any one track for special commendation. Ronstadt has voice that is soulful and powerful; rich and textured. She is equally at home singing theater music, rock, pop, Latin, or country. Few performers have as diverse a portfolio as she and it's easy to understand why. Pop stars today, as well as many theater singers, are manufactured, and usually sing every song in a similar way. Their image is carefully crafted to appeal to a particular audience, and they don't dare deviate from the blueprint their managers have created. Linda Ronstadt is so talented that she doesn't need a carefully managed image or a predictable style. She's that good -- she just sings and people -- all different kinds of people -- enjoy listening. 'Round Midnight might not be for everyone. It's mostly standards, and it has a cocktail hour, piano bar feel to it. It's romantic and relaxing. The material isn't new, but the arrangements are and Ronstadt's interpretations are refreshing. In a career that has shifted courses as many times as hers, it's impossible to predict what Ronstadt will try next. The only guarantee is that whatever she does there is sure to be an eager audience cheering her on.