Heart Like a Wheel is the fifth solo studio album by Linda Ronstadt, released in November 1974. Her first to reach the top of the Billboard 200 and winning a Grammy Award, it is considered to be Ronstadt's breakthrough album. It was Ronstadt's last album to be released by Capitol Records. At the time of its recording, Ronstadt had already moved to Asylum Records and released her first album there, however due to contractual obligations, Heart Like a Wheel was released by Capitol.
Reception
Heart Like a Wheel became Ronstadt's first album to hit the top spot on the Billboard Top 200album chart and spent four weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Country Album chart in early 1975. "You're No Good," a reluctant first single release from the record company, reached number 1 on Billboard's Hot 100. A version of The Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved" spent two weeks at number 2 on the Hot 100 in June 1975 and reached number 1 on the Cash Box Pop singles chart and on the Hot Country Songs chart. Buddy Holly & the Crickets song, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", also appeared on the Pop, Adult Contemporary and Country charts. Stephen Holden's 1975 review Rolling Stone described the title track as "a masterpiece of writing and arrangement" and lauded the album's expansive repertoire, production and song selection. The album's cover of Hank Williams's "I Can't Help It," peaked at number 2 on Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Heart Like a Wheel spent 51 weeks on the album chart. Retrospective reviews for Heart Like a Wheel widely regard it as a high-point in Ronstadt's oeuvre. In his review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine described it as "a landmark of '70s mainstream pop/rock." John Lingan claimed in his review for Pitchfork that " had one power, but it was a superpower. Viewed from one angle, Linda Ronstadt’s career is the story of a woman gradually recognizing the power of her own voice. She had the tone early, but you can hear her control improve in each successive album. Her breaths sound more natural, her vibrato becomes more pronounced. By Heart Like a Wheel, she’d mastered it." In 1976, the album earned Ronstadt four nominations at the Grammy Awards. She won Best Country Vocal Performance Female for the track, "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love with You". She was also nominated for Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance Female. Producer Peter Asher was among the nominees for Producer of the Year. In 2006, CMT ranked "Heart Like a Wheel" No. 34 on its list of the 40 greatest albums in country music. Heart Like a Wheel was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2013 for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important."
