Here’s a quiet kind of confidence: before Linda Ronstadt became a defining voice of her generation, she chose to begin her solo journey with Bob Dylan’s “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight.” Released on her debut album Hand Sown… Home Grown in March 1969, the song was still new to the world. Ronstadt didn’t try to elevate it or dramatize it — she grounded it. In her hands, reassurance feels simple and livable, like comfort meant to last, not impress.
“I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” is a soft promise sung at the edge of the evening—Linda Ronstadt turning Bob Dylan’s country-lullaby invitation into something tender enough to feel like shelter.…