Ultimately, there is the Ronstadt-Gold song, “Try Me Again.” As in “Love Has No Pride” and “Long Long Time,” something precious is at stake here. She simply allows the beauty of this well-structured song to speak for itself. She doesn’t battle the instruments she doesn’t strain for high notes. She sounds at peace with herself as she sings of foolish lovers who don’t take the time to discover love’s true meaning. Ronstadt’s interpretation is extraordinarily subtle, sly and witty. Swirling electric piano figures and a barely audible mandolin establish an irresistibly exotic ambiance. Ry Cooder’s “The Tattler” is one of the album’s two gems. Her reading could be tougher, but the music behind it - particularly the solo sparring between guitarists Andrew Gold and Waddy Wachtel - has enough bite to overcome the vocal shortcomings. The version of “That’ll Be the Day” included here neither alters my feelings for nor threatens the Buddy Holly original. I’ve always appreciated Ronstadt’s good-natured approach to her remakes of rock ‘n’ roll oldies. And in a few instances it’s as good as anything Ronstadt has done. Worse still, one verse of an immaculately beautiful reggae song, “Rivers of Babylon,” is ruined by being used as a prelude to “Give One Heart.” No amount of sweetening can rescue lyrics as inane as “That’s the paradox of I love you” or “If your baby loves you right/You can have skyrockets any old night.” A rock & roll bridge has been punched up, which only makes things worse by forcing a scream from Ronstadt as she tries to move up the scale.
Orleans couldn’t salvage it, nor can Ronstadt. The album’s only other major mistake is John and Johanna Hall’s “Give One Heart,” one of the worst songs - reggae or otherwise - I’ve heard.
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