• Sat. Oct 5th, 2024

Linda Ronstadt – The Sound of My Voice is the New Documentary Covering the Legendary Singer’s Career!

Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice is directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. The film features interviews with Linda Ronstadt, Peter Asher, Jackson Browne, John Boylan, Karla Bonoff, Patricia Casado Lucy’s El Adobe, Ry Cooder, Cameron Crowe, David Geffen, Emmylou Harris, Don Henley, Kevin Kline, Dolly Parton, Aaron Neville, Bonnie Raitt, Petie Ronstadt, JD Southern, Joe Smith, and Waddy Wachtel, with many others appearing in archival footage.

The Sound of My Voice is a documentary spanning the life and career of iconic singer/songwriter Linda Ronstadt, who rose above the odds in the late 60s, launching a career that made her one of the first widely successful female “rock stars.” The doc looks at her early life, her initial entry into the music scene with the Stone Poneys and their classic hit song “Different Drum,” her solo career alongside musicians who would depart to form The Eagles, recording some of the biggest hits of the 70s, as well as experimenting with different musical styles, often against the wishes of her record company superiors, only to continue expanding her own fame despite their objections, also collaborating with other artists, and even embarking upon a whirlwind romance with a California governor! Unfortunately, an illness forced her into an early retirement, but her passion for music and all she does never dwindled along the way.

Linda Ronstadt has been long overdue for the rock and roll documentary treatment, and I’m glad to see her done justice with a quality film which assembles a who’s who of industry personnel, family members, and everyone in between to share their stories. With a career that included countless hit songs, many of which are still played on the radio to this day, there’s plenty to appreciate about this film.

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises and best features of this documentary is the sheer amount of rare archival footage assembled. From TV appearances to candid home videos, there’s plenty to like about what’s included. Understandably, the quality of said footage is of hit and miss quality, but just having it all assembled in one place is worth the price of admission alone.

Even if you’re already a die-hard fan of Ronstadt, you’re bound to find something here you didn’t know about before. It was an eye-opener for this fan; I was exposed to many recordings and phases of her career I now want to go hunt down and listen to. It’ll inform you of all kinds of obscure facts and occurrences, and it’ll make you fall for her music all over again. I also appreciated how the film kept the political content a comfortable minimum, instead opting to focus primarily on Ronstadt’s music and career. A scene near the end featuring the current, inflicted Ronstadt attempting to perform alongside her family in an intimate home setting is equal parts beautiful and heartbreaking.

The Sound of My Voice is a fantastic documentary, and any fan of Linda Ronstadt owes it to themselves to watch this one. Very highly recommended!

DISCLAIMER: All images in this review are the property of their respective holders, including Greenwich Entertainment, CNN Films, and Kino Lorber. For promotional use only. All rights reserved.

By Taylor T Carlson

Taylor T Carlson Assistant Editor/Senior Staff Writer Taylor T. Carlson was born August 17, 1984, and has called the Vegas Valley home his entire life. A die-hard fan of classic rock and metal music, Taylor has been writing album and concert reviews since he was 16 years old, and continues to do so, having done well over 1,000 reviews. He is also a fan of video gaming and cinema, and has reviewed a number of games and films as well, old and new alike. His thorough and honest (some would say brutally honest) reviewing style has won him the respect of hundreds of music fans and musicians alike, both local and abroad, and the ire of just as many others. Despite being one of the youngest attendees at classic hard rock/metal shows around Vegas, he is also one of the most knowledgeable, having gained the unofficial nickname of “The Eddie Trunk of Las Vegas.” In addition to reviews, Taylor has written and self-published three books on classic hard rock bands, and is a regular participant in rock and roll trivia contests. Taylor also holds a masters degree in special education from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), and has appeared on the hit History Channel television series Pawn Stars. His dream is to be able to one day make a living from writing music books and reviews.

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