Hasten Down The Wind

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Named for the celebrated Warren Zevon song of the same name (sung here with Don Henley), <i>Hasten Down the Wind</i> shows Linda Ronstadt outgrowing the boisterously girlish persona that had made her a hippie icon. Like its predecessors, the album looks to Ronstadt’s peers (Zevon, Ry Cooder) and her formative idols (Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day,” an extra-sultry version of Patsy Cline’s “Crazy”). But more crucial is its inclusion of contemporary women songwriters. Tracy Nelson gave Ronstadt “Down So Low,” a husky blues about a rough breakup, while Karla Bonoff—who wrote “Lose Again,” “If He’s Ever Near," and “Someone to Lay Down Beside Me”—is the album’s hidden star. Ronstadt brings soaring authenticity to Bonoff’s resolute words. Together they formulated a realistic, grownup perspective for female pop music. Instead of the rush of newfound love, “Lose Again” deals with the tribulation of maintaining long-term relationships after the bloom is gone. While some critics may have preferred Joni Mitchell's intellectualism, Bonoff and Ronstadt tapped directly into the internal experiences of the American everywoman.

via Apple Music

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