Linda Ronstadt

Hollywood Soapbox interviews singer Elizabeth Ward Land about her new album of Linda Ronstadt cover songs.

The sound of her remarkable voice drove her career and her life in such exciting ways, and I realized that it my own way, the sound of my voice had tracked my life, too — and I hope that after seeing my concert, you walk away with a great appreciation of her fabulous career and that you feel like you know me and that we are friends. I mention it in the concert, but I truly think of Linda each time I go to sing, and my voice is still there for me. The concert is a love letter to Linda, but also a window into me and my life stories. In the show, I use that song to tell some stories about some disastrous romantic choices I made along the way and the underscoring changes in each verse. My first big role in college was Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, and I surprised everyone by getting that part. I listened to Linda as a teenager — probably “Long Long Time” was my first favorite song of hers.