re: My Gawd, Linda Ronstadt could sing

I think that until she became ill, she was the best female vocalist on the planet. Her sweet spot was the 1980s when she released the records with Nelson Riddle and also Canciones de mi Padre. She was at her vocal and creative peak and it showed. Especially on Canciones.

She could also sing any genre of music without being out of place: pop, rock, Standards, jazz, country, western cowboy music, Mexican Traditional, opera, operetta, broadway. Whatever she tried, she nailed. The only contemporary singer who comes close is Lady Gaga.