Ronstadt Spans Generations With Impressive Diversity

Linda Ronstadt brought a sampling of her ever expanding repertoire to the Universal Amphitheatre on Saturday, performing music that traveled gracefully from the ‘30s through the ‘90s.

Backed by a full orchestra, Ronstadt fed off the inherent emotion within nice, pristine renditions of such standards as “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” and “Someone to Watch Over Me,” bolstered by rich soloing from saxophonist Plas Johnson.

Since the end of her ‘70s pop superstardom, Ronstadt has explored a variety of genres, starting with her three albums that looked back to the music of her parents’ generation. That’s the music that formed the first part of Saturday’s show, and the singer deserves credit for recognizing the timelessness of the standards, even if her interpretations are somehow not informed by her rock background.

By choosing the sweetening of an orchestra rather than the earthier sound a jazz quartet or trio might have provided, Ronstadt comes off as more conservative than a jazz-pop traditionalist like Bobby Short. Her approach to the music is so loving and respectful that she never instills the songs with the sort of abandon that made her ‘70s material so popular, and never quite makes the songs her own.

During the second half of the two-hour concert, Ronstadt dived back into the rock era. She was joined by a trio of backup singers for the old doo-wop hit “It’s Too Soon to Know,” giving the song a more breathy, fiery performance and treating it less as a museum piece.

What followed was a typically impressive range of material, by songwriters from Billy Strayhorn to Jimmy Webb to Randy Newman (selections from his “Faust”).