The 1989 album Linda Ronstadt wanted to take back: “I didn’t do them well”
Linda Ronstadt has said she would take back her 1989 album *Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind*, judging that she had not yet developed the technique or judgement to perform and choose its songs as she wished. Her view reflects her demanding standards and the gap she felt between the studio recordings and the stronger versions she later sang live.
The album featured Aaron Neville and followed Ronstadt’s work with arranger Nelson Riddle, which had helped her develop a more polished vocal style. Though she felt the songs did not suit her at the time, the article describes the record as a respectable work of sophisticated pop, released before she turned to albums sung in Spanish.
- Ronstadt felt she had not yet mastered the songs on her 1989 album.
- She thought later live performances were stronger than the recordings.
- The album featured Aaron Neville and preceded her Spanish-language records.
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Linda Ronstadt is an American singer whose career has moved between rock, pop and other styles. In the 1980s, she worked with arranger Nelson Riddle on albums that gave her a more polished vocal approach.
Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind was released in 1989 and featured singer Aaron Neville. It came before Ronstadt began making albums sung in Spanish, and was part of a career in which she explored different kinds of music.
Ronstadt’s later assessment reflects how her standards for her own performances changed over time. She felt she sang the album’s songs more strongly live later on, a reminder that artists may judge early recordings differently as their technique and experience develop.