Linda Ronstadt - Just One Look: Classic Linda Ronstadt (2015) [HDTracks]

A new Linda Ronstadt compilation celebrating the resplendent voice of Linda Ronstadt. „Just One Look – Classic Linda Ronstadt“ is featuring 30 newly-remastered tracks on a double album.
The chronologically-assembled collection begins with Michael Nesmith’s timeless “Different Drum” as performed by The Stone Poneys featuring Linda, then jumps forward to the 1973 solo album Don’t Cry Now, overlooking Ronstadt’s three earliest Capitol solo LPs. From that point on, Just One Look touches on all of Ronstadt’s LPs through 1982’s Get Closer. Concentrating on the versatile vocalist’s contemporary pop material, no tracks are culled from her Nelson Riddle and Trio collaborations or her Spanish-language albums; the collection picks up with 1989’s smash Aaron Neville pairing Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind and concludes with tracks from 1993’s Winter Light. No material is included from any of Ronstadt’s subsequent recordings.
Just One Look includes key hit singles from this period including “You’re No Good, “Tracks of My Tears,” “Heat Wave,” “Blue Bayou,” “It’s So Easy” and “Just One Look.” However, note that the tracklisting lacks major hits and favorites from the Ronstadt catalogue such as “Long, Long Time,” “When Will I Be Loved,” “That’ll Be the Day,” “Back in the U.S.A.,” “Ooh, Baby, Baby” and the Grammy-winning American Tail duet “Somewhere Out There.”

As perhaps should be expected from a double-disc collection bearing 30 tracks, Just One Look: Classic Linda Ronstadt does indeed cover most of Ronstadt's career, beginning with the Stone Poneys' "Different Drum" and running into the late '90s, when she wrapped up her time with Elektra Records. This doesn't mean each era gets equal weight, however. Just One Look emphasizes her latter-day adult contemporary material over her cracking early country-rock, a trade-off that will likely satisfy listeners familiar with Ronstadt mainly through the radio. This does mean there are some terrific works left behind -- her big breakthrough "You're No Good" comes just six songs into this collection, so anything prior to that gets short shrift, but this settles into a good soft rock groove and should satisfy a listener who wants nothing but hits, and a lot of them at that.