Don't Cry Now
WhileDon't Cry Nowis Linda Ronstadt's fourth solo album, it has the feel of a sophomore release. Perhaps that's due to the albums that bookend this 1973 outing: it was preceded by aself-titled collectionthat signaled the big-voiced, doe-eyed singer's move away from country toward rock, an expedition capped with her 1974 breakthrough,Heart Like a Wheel. Ronstadt was on firmer footing with each outing;Don't Cry Nowis better than the record before it and weaker than the one to follow. A slew of in-demand Southern California players are along to assist Ronstadt, who tackles material from some of the favored songwriters of the day, includingJohn David Souther,Neil Young,Frey-Henley, andRandy Newman.--Steven Stolder