Greatest Hits, Vol. 2

Legendary songstress and 9X-GRAMMYr-winner Linda Ronstadt started her career in the late '60s as lead singer for L.A. folk trio the Stone Poneys (whose single Different Drum was her first chart hit). She rose to stardom as a solo artist in the early '70s as one of the era-defining Southern California rock scene's brightest lights and, ultimately, one of contemporary music's most enduring and versatile artists. Spanning '76 to '80, this second collection of her top songs features eleven timeless recordings including the Billboard Top 10 smashes It's So Easy, Blue Bayou, Hurt So Bad and How Do I Make You plus the classic track Someone To Lay Down Beside Me.

The latter part of the '70s found Ronstadt roughing up her image a bit, covering songs by the Rolling Stones and Warren Zevon and eventually taking inspiration from the burgeoning punk and new-wave scenes. All of this was a long way away from the laid-back country-rock sound that established her as one of the top female artists of the day. On the material collected here, Ronstadt remains as strong a singles artist as ever. Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 contains winners such as "It's So Easy," "Blue Bayou," and the Chuck Berry romp "Living in the U.S.A.," as well as edgier material such as the Stones' "Tumbling Dice" and Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me." --Daniel Durchholz