Evergreen, Vol. 2 by Linda Ronstadt & The Stone Poneys

Evergreen, Vol. 2 followed the Stone Poneys' debut by just five months, arriving on Capitol in June 1967 with Nick Venet producing, and it's the record where the Los Angeles folk-rock trio turned into Linda Ronstadt's showcase. In a change from the first album, she takes the lead on nearly everything, with Bobby Kimmel on rhythm guitar and Kenny Edwards on lead guitar behind her.

The exception is the two-part title song, with Edwards singing "Part One" and "Part Two" going instrumental, a trip down a more psychedelic lane. The rest digs up tunes from writers who hadn't gotten their due and dresses them with a crowd of hired hands. The prize is Mike Nesmith's "Different Drum", which Ronstadt cut without the other two Poneys around: her first hit, sung with a bright, sure-footed confidence no trio could contain. This turned out to be the best seller of the band's three studio albums.

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