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Initially labeled a country-rock heartbreaker, Linda Ronstadt moved on to establish beachheads in everything from new wave to light opera, from pre-rock pop to traditional Mexican music. Such restlessness has been interpreted as flightiness among doubters, but Ronstadt's headstrong eclecticism has, with time, taken on weight, which is reflected in this suitably hefty four-disc career overview. Here is Ronstadt the musician, an erstwhile Cal-rock pinup girl who refused to sit still for the next photo shoot while churning out more rock-radio fare. Keep in mind that Ronstadt was the first female performer to chalk up seven consecutive platinum albums; she must have faced down considerable pressure to play it safe in the '80s. Indeed, some of the least interesting material found here is the post-Heart Like a Wheel rote rock culled from 1978's Living in the USA and 1980's Mad Love. Blessed with a starburst of a voice and the determination to put her gift to the test, she shines brightest when she's outside her familiar orbit. The Linda Ronstadt Box Set opens with two CDs that essentially serve as best-of sets. Disc three consists of duets with the likes of Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Aaron Neville, and Frank Sinatra. Disc four, the real windfall here, offers rarities, including her three excellent contributions to Randy Newman's Faust and a contribution to Carla Bley's ambitious jazz opera Escalator Over the Hill. --Steven Stolder