I veered outside of chronological order when I wrote about Linda Ronstadt’s Spanish-language releases last week, so today I’m returning to the timeline.

Two years after the major success of Canciones de Mi Padre, Ronstadt struck gold again with 1999’s triple-Platinum Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind. The album won three Grammys and joined Simple Dreams and What’s New as her top-selling releases.

That performance was largely due to the smash hit ‘Don’t Know Much,’ which peaked at #2 on the Hot 100. The syrupy ballad was one of four songs on the album featuring Aaron Neville, with whom she had a fruitful professional collaboration as well as a brief romance.

Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind is a solid album with a decent song selection (including three Karla Bonoff songs), but the adult contemporary production is a bit much for my taste.

Ronstadt’s next English-language album, 1993’s Winter Light, is another story. Ronstadt took the production reins herself (making it her first album in 20 years not produced by Peter Asher) and delivered a beautiful collection of shimmering pop gems.

She tackles a couple of Burt Bacharach/Hal David songs, along with tracks by Brian Wilson, Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Webb, and Carole King/Gerry Goffin, giving beautiful voice to classics and lesser-known tunes alike. The album is a highlight of her post-70s career.