| Winter Light | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 23, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1993 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:06 | |||
| Label | Elektra/WEA International | |||
| Producer | George Massenburg, Linda Ronstadt | |||
| Linda Ronstadt chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Winter Light | ||||
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Winter Light is an album by American singer Linda Ronstadt, released in late 1993 to critical acclaim and commercial disappointment.
Winter Light was Ronstadt's first solo album since Don't Cry Now not to be produced by Peter Asher; she elected to produce it herself, along with George Massenburg. The album marked Ronstadt's increased responsibilities and confidence behind the boards, this time achieving a multi-layered Enya-styled New Age-oriented sound, as in Anna McGarrigle's "Heartbeats Accelerating" — the album's first hit single — and Brian Wilson's "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on my Shoulder)". "Heartbeats Accelerating" featured a popular music video while another track, a remake of the classic 1960s R&B hit, "Oh No Not My Baby", was a Top 30 Adult Contemporary hit for Linda in the spring of 1994.
Other aspects of the album show Ronstadt paying tribute to great female vocalists of the 1960s, with a combination of rock n roll, oldies, and rock ballads. Three of the songs - "Anyone Who Had A Heart", "Oh No Not My Baby", and "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" - had been previously recorded by Dusty Springfield. Ronstadt selected classic compositions from various songwriters such as Burt Bacharach, Carole King, and Jimmy Webb, as well as from contemporary ones such as Tish Hinojosa. The album also showcased Ronstadt the singer-songwriter and music arranger, introducing her own composition, "Winter Light," which was notably covered by Sarah Brightman on her 2001 album, Classics and Chloë Agnew for her Walking In The Air album.
The title track was also prominently used in the 1993 film The Secret Garden , but was not featured on the film's original soundtrack release.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [2] |
| Music Week | [3] |
| Q | [4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
Winter Light is considered to be one of Ronstadt's best and most underrated recordings. Rolling Stone rated the album '4' (out of a possible '5') stars. However, it was a commercial failure for Ronstadt and peaked at a disappointing #92 on the Billboard album chart. The disc had modest sales, moving 248,410 copies in the United States. In 2008, it became Ronstadt's first Elektra/Asylum release to be taken out of print (In 2009, several more classic Ronstadt albums were deleted from her catalog).
Allmusic critic Jose Promis praised the album and wrote, "Winter Light could arguably be classified as Linda Ronstadt's best pop album of the 1990s... there is not a single dud on this impeccably produced album, which, in fact, gets better and better with each listening. This sadly overlooked album is nothing short of a shining gem, and an absolute must for fans of this amazing singer." [1]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Heartbeats Accelerating" | Anna McGarrigle | 3:49 |
| 2. | "Do What You Gotta Do" | Jimmy Webb | 3:24 |
| 3. | "Anyone Who Had a Heart" | Burt Bacharach, Hal David | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)" | Brian Wilson, Tony Asher | 3:15 |
| 5. | "Oh No Not My Baby" | Gerry Goffin, Carole King | 3:05 |
| 6. | "It's Too Soon to Know" | Deborah Chessler | 2:30 |
| 7. | "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" | Burt Bacharach, Hal David | 3:11 |
| 8. | "A River for Him" | Emmylou Harris | 4:31 |
| 9. | "Adonde Voy" (Where I Am Going) | Tish Hinojosa | 3:09 |
| 10. | "You Can't Treat the Wrong Man Right" | Jimmy Webb | 3:29 |
| 11. | "Winter Light" | Eric Kaz, Linda Ronstadt, Zbigniew Antoni Preisner | 3:17 |
| Total length: | 37:06 | ||
The original 1993 USA release as Elektra 61545-2 had the songs on the back of the tray card listed incorrectly. There is no track number 8 listed. The listing order goes from track 7 to track 9. The glitch had gone unnoticed when it went into print. Although all the songs are listed there, it would give the impression that there are twelve tracks on the CD instead of eleven. The discrepancy would then be noticed when the CD was being played because the playback readout would truly show its eleven tracks.
Musicians
Production
Studios
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) [6] | 98 |
| US Billboard 200 [7] | 92 |
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | November 23, 1993 |
| Elektra Records | [8] |
Heart Like a Wheel is the fifth solo studio album by Linda Ronstadt, released in November 1974. It was Ronstadt's last album to be released by Capitol Records. At the time of its recording, Ronstadt had already moved to Asylum Records and released her first album there; due to contractual obligations, though, Heart Like a Wheel was released by Capitol.
Trio is a collaborative album by American singers Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris. It was released on March 2, 1987, by Warner Bros. Records. The album has platinum certification in the U.S. for sales of one million copies, and has total worldwide sales of approximately four million. A second collaborative album, Trio II, was released in 1999.
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Trio II is the second collaborative studio album by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. It was released on February 9, 1999, by Asylum Records.
Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind is a studio album by American singer/producer Linda Ronstadt, released in October 1989 by Elektra Records. Produced by Peter Asher, the album features several duets with singer Aaron Neville — two of which earned Grammy Awards — and several songs written by Jimmy Webb and Karla Bonoff. The album was a major success internationally. It sold over three million copies and was certified Triple Platinum in the United States alone.
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Don't Cry Now is the fourth solo studio album by Linda Ronstadt and the first of her studio releases for Asylum Records, following six albums recorded for and released on Capitol Records including three she recorded as a member of the Stone Poneys.
Get Closer is the eleventh studio album by singer Linda Ronstadt, released in 1982.
Hasten Down the Wind is the seventh studio album by singer-songwriter Linda Ronstadt. Released in 1976, it became her third straight million-selling album. Ronstadt was the first female artist to accomplish this feat. The album earned her a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female in 1977, her second of 13 Grammys. It represented a slight departure from 1974's Heart Like a Wheel and 1975's Prisoner in Disguise in that she chose to showcase new songwriters over the traditional country rock sound she had been producing up to that point. A more serious and poignant album than its predecessors, it won critical acclaim.
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The Song Remembers When is the third studio album by American country music artist Trisha Yearwood. The album was released October 26, 1993, on MCA Nashville Records and was produced by Garth Fundis. It was Yearwood's third collaboration with Fundis, who also produced her 1992 album, Hearts in Armor which received wide critical acclaim, as well as her platinum-selling eponymous debut. The title track was the album's lead single, becoming a major hit, peaking at #2 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1993.
Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions is a 1999 duet album by American singer, songwriter, and producer Linda Ronstadt and singer, songwriter, and guitarist Emmylou Harris, who had previously collaborated on two albums with Dolly Parton.
We Ran is a 1998 rock album by American singer, songwriter, and producer Linda Ronstadt. The disc featured back-up from three members of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. It spent two weeks on the Billboard albums chart, peaking at #160.
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Mas Canciones is an album by American singer/songwriter/producer Linda Ronstadt, released in late 1991.
Frenesí is a 1992 Grammy Award-winning album by American singer Linda Ronstadt.
Feels Like Home is a studio album by American singer Linda Ronstadt released in 1995. It reached #75 and lasted 12 weeks on the Billboard album chart. It received excellent critical reviews upon release. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the disc sold precisely 188,815 copies in the United States. This album is now out of print physically, although it is available digitally and five of its tracks were remixed and subsequently included on Trio II.
Dedicated to the One I Love is an album of rock classics reinterpreted as children's lullabies by American singer, songwriter and producer Linda Ronstadt.
"Baby, Walk On" is a song originally recorded by American country music singer Matraca Berg. It was her first single release, and it appears on her 1990 debut album Lying to the Moon. A second version, titled just "Walk On", was released by Linda Ronstadt in 1995.
The Crossing is the fifth studio album by English singer Paul Young. Released in 1993, the album peaked at No. 27 on the UK Albums Chart.
