Hasten Down The Wind - LINDA RONSTADT***

Lose Again/The Tattler/If He's Ever Near/That'll Be The Day/Lo Siento Mi Vida/Hasten Down The Wind/Rivers Of Babylon/Give One Heart/Try Me Again/Crazy/Down So Low/Someone To Lay Down Beside Me

Vocalist Linda Ronstadt was heavily dependant on cover songs to which she provided her own interpretations. Hasten Down The Wind exemplifies the problem with this approach. Why would anyone want to listen to alternative versions of Crazy or That’ll Be The Day when the originals are so perfect? (US:3 UK:32)

“Linda Ronstadt has a great voice, with great musicians and a good taste in songs. Maybe some people consider this music to be hollow, shallow and facile, but I don't agree. She catches perfectly the worn-out, rock/pop zeitgeist of the mid-1970s more than any other artist out there.”

“This is definitely my favourite Linda Ronstadt album. The songs flow effortlessly into one another, and her voice has discovered a subtle texture.”

“Much of Linda Ronstadt’s Hasten Down The Wind is bordering on filler. Some of the songs have a interesting moments, but overall, most of what’s here is disappointing. However, there is one song here that is a masterpiece, Crazy which saves the album. Here Linda is in complete control and command of her voice. Her inflections and nuances show that she fully understands what the song is all about.”

“The album showcases Ronstadt's big, rich voice in a selection of down-so-low songs. Her take on the classic Patsy Cline song, Crazy, is wistful as well as woeful, and the entire album would be my first choice if I were spending a rainy night remembering old, lost loves.”

“Hasten Down The Wind garnered her a Grammy for best female pop vocal performance. It's a very real, raw album with Ronstadt's sweet vocals pierced by a touch of grit.

“That'll Be The Day is one of her best; she completely reinvents the song, and it's jet-propelled throughout. Crazy, revered as Patsy Cline's classic, is perfectly captured in a stark arrangement, in which Ronstadt represents the emotional details of the lyrics with exceptional skill. Down So Low comes complete with a large chorus and thrilling lead vocals lines and is remarkable.”