Duets

A new compilation gathering together duets Linda Ronstadt has sung with a number of artists over the course of her long and varied career will be released on April 8, just two days before she'll be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The 15-track collection, titled Linda Ronstadt -- Duets, will include collaborations with The Eagles' Don Henley, James Taylor, J.D. Souther, Aaron Neville, Frank Sinatra, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and James Ingram. Among the tunes are two of Ronstadt's biggest hits: her 1986 Grammy-winning duet with James Ingram, "Somewhere Out There," and her 1989 collaboration with Neville, "Don't Know Much," which both reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Also included are a rendition of Warren Zevon's "Hasten Down the Wind" featuring Henley -- the title track of Ronstadt's hit 1976 album -- and a 1976 cover of Hank Williams' "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" with Harris that garnered Linda her first Grammy. In addition, Duets features one previously unreleased track, "Pretty Bird," a Hazel Dickens song that Ronstadt recorded with veteran bluegrass artist Laurie Lewis. There's also three tunes with Cajun singer Ann Savoy that originally appeared a 2006 collaborative album titled Adieu False Heart. Sadly, Ronstadt revealed this past year that she's been battling Parkinson's disease, which has robbed her of her ability to sing. Duets will stand as a reminder of the beauty and power of that voice.