The Zozo Sisters: Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy

Some of us have been listening to Linda Ronstadt for an embarrassingly long time, all the way back to when she was with The Stone Poneys, a prototypical Sunset Strip band commonly associated with a decade I’d rather not mention. Those who’ve followed her long career through its many manifestations have listened to a great voice sing pop schlock, big-band standards, country and canciónes in Spanish. It’s difficult to put a label on what she’s singing with Ann Savoy on Adieu False Heart, but whatever it is, it’s damn good. Some of it is Cajun, and some of it sounds like bluegrass as it might have been collected by a musical ethnographer. But unlike some Ronstadt recordings in the past that employed her powerful voice to propel songs without much genuine heart, this album is all heart—simple, sweet and rich in authentic feeling. And, as an anthem for aging boomers who’ve been listening to her for so long, the song “Too Old to Die Young” sure makes more sense than those words we once chanted along with The Who back when they were singing, “Hope I die before I get old.”