nlynn17 Reviews

Linda and the Mockingbirds (2020)

Musical redemption - non-confrontational look at the beauty of the melting pot

[10/10 · 21 October 2020]

Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne join Eugene Rodriguez and Los Cenzontles (the mockingbirds) on a bus trip to perform in Linda's grandfather's home town, Banamichi, Mexico. Los Cenzontles is a group of young Mexican - American musicians who uphold and transmit the authentic, traditional music of Ronstadt's childhood.

This is a beautiful, hopeful, thoughtful, important film about equity, transmission of culture through the arts, and insight into what it means to be an immigrant in the US today. Without being dogmatic, negative, or overtly political, producer/director James Keach opens the door for us to hear firsthand experiences from Mexican-American immigrants. In addition to hearing their amazing music, we see and feel their dignity, traditions, smiles and tears.

Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice (2019)

Make sure to see this film if you love music and want to be inspired...

[10/10 · 9 September 2019]

This is an uplifting, beautiful chronicling of Linda Ronstadt's life and career. Her versatility, independence, goodness, intelligence and amazing talent are inspiring, and we sure need some inspiration these days. Many don't know that Linda has Mexican roots, and that her forays into so many genres (pop, country, folk, rock, opera, classics, Spanish-language albums...) were generated by the eclecticism of her early family life - from singing with family at home, and sitting by the radio (her "best friend" as a child) listening to musical broadcasts. The movie emphasizes Linda's true love of singing, her commitment to being authentic, being one of the first women to lead in the male-dominated music industry, and her enduring friendships with both men and women. This is a wonderful documentation of someone achieving the American dream with honesty and authenticity - and overcoming limits for women via talent and presence of mind. And, ultimately, she teaches us by giving us this film how to LIVE after having been diagnosed with a progressive fatal illness in 2009 (Parkinson's).