Dedicated to the One I Love

by Stephen Thomas ErlewineThroughout her career, Linda Ronstadt has always interpreted rock and pop classics, but Dedicated to the One I Love is different from the rest of her albums -- this time around, she reinterprets the oldies as children's lullabies. All of the songs are given lush, sweet, and soft arrangements, even when that approach is ludicrous; it might be a cute idea to deliver Queen's "We Will Rock You" as a rock-a-bye chant, but in practice it is simply ridiculous. Fortunately, most of the album relies on songs -- "Be My Baby," "In My Room" -- that can be sung as lullabies, and she sings them very well. Of course, the appeal of Dedicated to the One I Love is limited -- only baby boomer parents will really find this interesting -- but fans that find the concept intriguing won't be disappointed by the results.