Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind
Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind is a studio album by American singer/producer Linda Ronstadt, released in October 1989 by Elektra Records. Produced by Peter Asher, the album features several duets with singer Aaron Neville — two of which earned Grammy Awards — and several songs written by Jimmy Webb and Karla Bonoff. The album sold over three million copies and was certified Triple Platinum in the United States alone. It was also a major success throughout the world.
Composition
Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind is a diverse collection of songs in the rock, R&B, and pop genres. In addition, the album contains a few ballads, most notably Jimmy Webb's "Adios". Of the twelve tracks, Ronstadt included four duets with Aaron Neville, of Neville Brothers fame. In addition, the album is noted for its big production values including backing musicians The Skywalker Symphony, Tower of Power horns, and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir. There are also tracks by songwriters Jimmy Webb, Karla Bonoff, and an appearance of Brian Wilson, as back up singer and musical arranger on Ronstadt's fourteenth Top 10 Adult Contemporary single "Adios". The album's arrangers include Marty Paich, David Campbell, Jimmy Webb, Greg Adams, and Terrance Kelly.Reception
Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind received critical acclaim and put Ronstadt back at top of the charts with the #1 Gold-certified hit single "Don't Know Much", one of the duets with Neville. "Don't Know Much" and "All My Life", another chart-topping duet with Neville, won Grammy Awards in 1990 and 1991 respectively for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. The album earned Ronstadt a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female alongside Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, Gloria Estefan, and Paula Abdul. The album reached #7 on the US Billboard 200, spending well over a year on the chart, and selling over three million copies in the United States alone.Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind stands as one of Ronstadt's three biggest selling studio albums of all-time in the United States. It is also one of her biggest selling albums worldwide, especially in Australia and the United Kingdom, selling over 100,000 copies. This album is currently out of print but is still available online for download and streaming.
When the album reached the Billboard Top 10 in late 1989, Ronstadt became only the second female recording artist in history to achieve ten Top 10 albums, following Barbra Streisand.
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians
- Linda Ronstadt – lead and harmony vocals, backing vocals
- Aaron Neville – lead and harmony vocals
- Jimmy Webb – acoustic piano, orchestral arrangements
- Robbie Buchanan – keyboards, organ
- Don Grolnick – acoustic piano, keyboards
- William D. "Smitty" Smith – electric piano
- Michael Landau – electric guitar
- Dean Parks – electric guitar
- Andrew Gold – electric guitar, 12-string electric guitar, guitar
- Leland Sklar – bass
- David Hungate – bass
- Carlos Vega – drums
- Russ Kunkel – drums
- Michael Fisher – percussion
- Peter Asher – percussion
- Tower of Power – horns
- Marty Paich – orchestral arrangements and conductor
- Terrance Kelly – choir arrangements and conductor
- David Campbell – orchestral arrangements, conductor
- Greg Adams – orchestral arrangements, horn arrangements, conductor
- The Skywalker Symphony Orchestra – orchestra
- Pavel Farkas – concertmaster
- Rosemary Butler – additional backing vocals, backing vocals
- Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir – choir
- Jon Joyce – backing vocals
- Arnold McCuller – backing vocals
- Brian Wilson – backing vocals, arrangements
Production
- Peter Asher – producer
- Steve Tyrell – co-producer
- George Massenburg – recording and mixing
- Frank Wolf – additional recording
- Bob Edwards – assistant engineer
- Sharon Rice – assistant engineer
- Mike Ross – assistant engineer
- Jim Schelter – assistant engineer
- Ivy Skoff – production coordination
- John Kosh – art direction, design
- Robert Blakeman – photography
- Cathy Kerr – personal assistant
- Janet Stark – personal assistant
- Charles Barber – assistant to Marty Paich
- Jeff Beal – orchestra musical coordinator
- Greg Sudmeier – orchestra musical coordinator
Charts
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
| 1989 | UK Albums Chart | 43 |
| 1989 | US Billboard 200 | 7 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak position |
| 1989 | "Don't Know Much" | Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| 1989 | "Don't Know Much" | Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| 1990 | "Adios" | Adult Contemporary | 9 |
| 1990 | "All My Life" | Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| 1990 | "All My Life" | Billboard Hot 100 | 11 |
| 1990 | "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" | Adult Contemporary | 5 |
| 1990 | "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" | Billboard Hot 100 | 78 |