THE RONSTADT REPORT

LINDA RONSTADT Simple Dreams (Asylum)

Table of Contents (Peter Asher, Producer): —2 Warren Zevon songs—one on loneliness and dope, another on being screwed over.

—2 traditional (folk) ballads.

—2 rockers soft-styled, though Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy" wasn't hard (rock) to begin with.

—1 song each: J.D. Souther, Eric Kaz, "Waddy" Wachtel.

—1 Roy Orbison number. "Blue Bayou."

—No reggae songs or Spanish lyrics. This "Venture" plays it extra safe...

What Else Is New Department:

-LINDA RONSTADT BREAKS DOWN GENERIC BARRIERS! Transcendence of form is either irrelevant or past history for this doll; everything she tackles turns into easy listening. Sure, I love her—though not perhaps like one of the boys might.

But love in itself is a whole other drift, which Miss Ronstadt has excelled in singing the hazards of successfully: such is the career Linda and her various producers hath molded. Out of the ashes into the bucks and into a formula. Linda Ronstadt is not a Renaissance Woman. (Psycho-) Analysis:

—Linda Ronstadt not be credited with manic depression or dementia praecox or an excess of "vulnerability" or so-regarded lachrymose bends. If anything, chalk her waylaying career up to device. Not to belittle, of course, Linda's much-admired "pipes," her vocal control and expertise.

But note: on Simple Dreams, really powerful vocals are nil: No "Rescue Me," no "Mental Revenge," no "When Will I Be Loved," nor "Love Has No Pride"; not even one stronglysung cut approximated, the "Heat Wave" vector. Draw you own inferences, please. I think either she didn't look for or wasn't given any such quality material, or perhaps Linda is contracting the dreaded vocal chord node syndrome.

Diagnosis:

If anything, certainly not, a dynamic vocal personality.

Prognosis:

Why doesn't Ronstadt give some Gene Pitney songs a whirl? More Roy Orbison?... Positive Response Department:

—Simple Dreams is an immediately listenable album. As Sandy Pearlman might comment, "It will sell millions of albums." Dolly Part on's harmony vocal on "I Never Will Marry" is slayingly gorgeous. On Linda's rendition of the Stones' "Tumblin' Dice" the lyrics are oodles more intelligible than Mick Jagger's marble-mouthing (and no more fun of it despite that). The energy level is of such an easy-going uniformity that I can't even tell which cuts have slogging tempos on L.R.'s albums anymore. (Less work for a rock writer.)

Final Analysis/Parting Comments:

(Sigh) It's another Linda Ronstadt album, all right.