Linda Ronstadt has said she regretted aspects of her 1989 album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind, believing she did not yet know how to sing or choose material that suited her. Her comments highlight the difference performers can perceive between studio recordings and songs that improve through repeated live performance.

Ronstadt said she felt disconnected from some of the album’s songs and later performed them better on stage after becoming more familiar with them. Despite her self-criticism, the article notes that the record was commercially successful and that her live vocals were widely regarded as especially strong.