Billed as Linda Ronstadt’s first-ever live album, 2019’s Live in Hollywood captures highlights from an April 24, 1980 concert previously aired on HBO in 1980. Live in Hollywood doesn’t match the set list of the HBO special. Instead, Ronstadt selected 12 performances from the 20-song concert, nine of which didn’t make the air back in 1980.
Generally, the songs selected for Live in Hollywood avoid the new wave elements that characterized Mad Love, the 1980 album Ronstadt was promoting at the time — the propulsive “How Do I Make You” and “I Can’t Let Go” made the cut, but the title track and Elvis Costello cover “Party Girl” were left behind — but there are certainly elements that date the performance to 1980, particularly the synth drum pinging in the background.
Set such period accoutrements aside, and the album glides by with the skill and ease of seasoned SoCal professionals, and Ronstadt stands at the center of it all as a compelling presence. These 12 tracks casually illustrate her facility with both soft rock and old-time rock & roll, and if the set list leans heavily on oldies, the combination of guts and polish makes her renditions memorable.
