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LINDA RONSTADT
WE RAN
Elektra
Give Linda Ronstadt the right song and she's still able to nail it. Her percentage is excellent on this virtual welcome-home disc that reunites her with guitarists Bernie Leadon (formerly of the Eagles) and Waddy Wachtel, who backed Ronstadt on her seminal '70s albums and tours. Ronstadt has spent much of the last decade making low-key music that has ranged from art songs to lullabyes. But this new album is a return to pop-rock and is produced by Glyn Johns, who has worked with the Stones, Who, and Stevie Nicks. It's not that Ronstadt is suddenly rocking again, because much of this album mines a laid-back, adult feel. But the song choices are exquisite. She redefines Bob Dylan's dramatic ``Tom Thumb Blues'' and finds a new way into Bruce Springsteen's ``If I Should Fall Behind.'' And she nails John Hiatt's moodscape, ``When We Ran'' (aided by Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell) and the plaintive ``Dreams of the San Joaquin,'' about migrant workers. Ronstadt remains a brilliant song interpreter - and it's good to see her return to her pop-rock roots with dignity intact.
STEVE MORSE
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