Jan 21, 2022 By Austin Saalman

Steeped in its region of origin’s booming counterculture, Linda Ronstadt’s vastly underrated eponymous third solo album possesses an irresistibly down-home sound, amplified by the presence of her up-and-coming peers, rendering it a foundational recording of its genre. Although the album’s commercial failure prompted Ronstadt’s departure from Capitol, Linda Ronstadt is a remarkable release, its solid musicianship and twangy charm having helped set an early stage for the emergent country rock subgenre soon to take American radio by storm, perfecting the timeless postcard notion of a breezily romantic ’70s Los Angeles for a nation yet beguiled by its hazy mythology. More