Linda Ronstadt Canciones De Mi Padre (Songs Of My Father) CD

Personnel includes: Linda Ronstadt (vocals); Danny Valdez (vocals, guitar); Gilberto Puente, Samuel Gutierrez, Humberto Hernandez (guitar); Felipe Perez, Antonio Ramos, Salvador Torres (violin); Steve Fowler (flute); Ron Kalina (harmonica); Juan Gudiono, Luis Salinas (trumpet); Jim Self (tuba); Larry Bunker (percussion).
Recorded between July 20 & September 21, 1987.
Linda Ronstadt abandoned the pop audience in 1983, turning toward traditional pop music. She recorded three albums with Nelson Riddle before changing direction yet again, this time recording a set of traditional Mexican songs titled Canciones de Mi Padre. As the title suggests, the record is a fairly sentimental collection, since these are songs from her childhood and her heritage. Occasionally, Ronstadt oversells the songs but overall, the album is charming, affectionate, entertaining, and more successful than her stilted Nelson Riddle collaborations. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Following her commercially successful trilogy with Nelson Riddle, Linda Ronstadt once more lighted upon untested ground by recording this set of popular Mexican ballads and mariachis all dedicated to her dad. Fluent in Spanish, Ronstadt undeniably has the credentials and chops to tackle a project of this nature. And what a project it is, with full guitar-and-violin-laden orchestra on hand to accompany the singer. Singing in Spanish lends an unfamiliar, grainy timbre to Rondstadt's always powerful voice, allowing this archetypal baby boomer to sound like a grown-up at last, a quality which perhaps eluded her on the Riddle sessions which had their unmistakable air of dress-up, no matter how well executed.