After releasing several albums on Capitol, Linda Ronstadt moved to David Geffen’s fledgling Asylum label for 1973’s Don’t Cry Now. At the time, Asylum was the keystone of the Los Angeles singer/songwriter movement, and the uniform quality of its releases made it among the most respected brands in pop music. Co-produced by J.D. Souther—who cowrote “I Can Almost See It,” “Don’t Cry Now," and “The Fast One”—this album splits the difference between the smoothly crafted country-rock of The Eagles and the piano-driven balladry of Randy Newman (who's represented by a first-rate reading of “Sail Away”). Ronstadt’s trademark was that she sang like a modern woman who refused to repress the desires that had previously burned under the surface of recordings by Patsy Cline and Kitty Wells. Her nakedly emotional performances of “Love Has No Pride” and “Desperado” seem drawn directly from her soul. The arrangements and musicianship are impeccable, especially on “Colorado,” in which a delicately located orchestra adds a feeling of longing that aches between the folds of the lyrics.