Heart Like a Wheel
It's often said that this 1974 set, Ronstadt's true commercial breakthrough after a half decade's worth of minor hits, set the formula for the platinum successes to follow: some underrecognized singer/songwriter jewels, a couple of semi-obscure early rock tunes, always with something for country radio as well as Top 40 to grab hold of. ButHeart Like a Wheeldoes it with a magic Ronstadt and her L.A. session crew would never touch again; for one thing, she was rarely again as convincingly tough ("You're No Good") or as fragile (theAnna McGarrigle-penned title track) as she is here.--Rickey Wright