Although I don't hold Ronstadt in the same regard artistically as her peers- who actually write their own material, I think she has had one of the most interesting careers in the history of music- all the while remaining extremely private and out of the public spotlight. So while she may not be capable/willing to write songs, she certainly has the pipes and the versatility to do just about everything- folk, rock, jazz, country, pop, Broadway, Mariachi, standards, Cajun, etc. She is a musical journey(wo)man who has not backed away from taking chances and is a true believer in making music for the sake of artistic expression- not merely just to make a lot of money or achieving fame. I suppose she would still be immensely popular if she just continued on in the vein of covering old pop songs or recording a bajillion albums worth of power ballads with Aaron Neville. But all of her musical experimentation came at a price- she just became too eclectic and she seemed to alienate a little bit more of her fanbase with each new direction. So although she has recorded/released many more albums than Stevie, the results have met with mixed success. But at least Ronstadt has evolved and moved on with her career, whereas Stevie seems stuck in a certain era; Linda is the Blanche to Stevie's Baby Jane Hudson.
|