Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice is an excellent concert on film from beginning to end, and the music is more than mere snippets of her songs. Many music docs often tease and frustrate fans with vastly shortened versions of the hits we know so well.
Not Linda.
Her big ones are all here: "You're No Good," "Different Drum," "Blue Bayou," among many, presented by archives and video.
Hearing them anew made me want to rush out and buy a couple of her albums which number more than 30. She has won 10 Grammys and received 26 Grammy nominations.
In the film, members of Linda's music family (her agents, producers, publicists, band members, boyfriends - wish Jerry Brown had consented to inclusion) are interviewed with the big stars who remain dear friends: Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris (who tears up at the end), Bonnie Raitt, Aaron Neville, to name a few.
Their conversations, thankfully, last more than a few seconds. "Teasers," not.
The interviewees expound on the goodness of Linda, her singing ability, her personality (which never seems to waver in the show from her childhood to present day).
Chats with the star of the show bookend the film and show her charm, intact sense of humor, and great looks.
Deterred by disease? Not.
Her last live concert was in 2009 before problems with her voice were diagnosed as Parkinson's disease in 2012, leaving her unable to sing. She is 73.
"When Will I Be Loved" contradicts the embrace her fans, friends, and family extend to the woman with the sparkling, distinctive voice like none other.
Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Freidman directed.
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