Linda Ronstadt - Greatest Hits (1989)

Linda Ronstadt's appeal crossed so many genre lines it's impossible to categorize her as anything other than a gifted vocalist. She enjoyed success on country and rock charts alike with a voice that capably handled the requirements of both styles. There was a commanding roughness to her you-did-me-wrong classic, "You're No Good," that mixed both soul and R&B stylings into her vocals. In a similar vein, she handled the Motown standard, "Heat Wave," like a pro, this time giving it the slightest hint of a country twang. She even rose to the occasion of covering Buddy Holly's "That'll Be the Day." Rondstadt had some of her best moments with material that had a more emotional element, regardless of genre. "Love Is a Rose" and "Tracks of My Tears" are good examples of the disparate styles she could navigate with equal aplomb. Greatest Hits doesn't chronicle Rondstadt's hits past the mid-1970s, but is still worth owning, not only for the songs themselves, but as a point of reference in her career. --Steve Gdula