‘Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice’ hits all the right notes

Like its subject, “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” hits all the right notes, with this latest documentary foray into musical history offering a brisk exploration of the singer’s chart-topping and astonishingly varied career, as well as her status as a female rock star in the 1970s and ’80s.

Presented by CNN Films, the film draws heavily on interviews with Ronstadt — now 73, and unable to sing, sadly, as a byproduct of Parkinson’s disease — especially in recounting her early life.

Once into the meat of her career, “The Sound of My Voice” trots out a virtual who’s who of the musical world that passed through her orbit, as well as an assortment of clips of Ronstadt performing that can still elicit chills, offering a reminder of what a unique and soaring instrument her voice was, from “Different Drum” to “You’re No Good.”

“Linda was the queen,” Bonnie Raitt says, comparing her arena-tour status at the time to Beyoncé today, with the added degree of difficulty that she was a woman in a male-dominated endeavor — one who championed other female performers and forged lasting friendships with many of them.

Ronstadt acknowledges that she hated arenas, but perhaps what stands out most is her persistent desire to challenge herself — and not incidentally, the wishes of her record company — by branching out as an artist. Those interludes included starring in “The Pirates of Penzance,” singing old standards arranged by Nelson Riddle and performing the Mexican music of her youth.

Kevin Kline, her “Pirates” co-star, admits to having been surprised by Ronstadt’s desire to make the leap from rock stardom to Broadway, before describing her voice as being “so pure, it just made me cry.”

Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (“The Celluloid Closet”), the documentary covers a lot of ground in 90 minutes, from Ronstadt helping form and championing the Eagles to the sex and drugs part of rock ‘n roll. Ronstadt’s famous relationships included California Gov. Jerry Brown during his first stint in that office, after the two met cute at the restaurant Lucy’s El Adobe, a popular spot among musical acts performing at the legendary Troubadour.

Ronstadt sounds wistful at times but expresses no regrets, noting that she achieved a level of success in her chosen field she could have scarcely imagined while growing up and sharing songs with her family.

For those less familiar with Ronstadt’s career, “The Sound of My Voice” is a smooth introduction to a performer whose artistry is more than worthy of such a tribute. Those who admired the singer in her heyday, meanwhile (including President Obama, who confessed to a teen crush on her during an awards ceremony), rediscover how easy it is to be moved by that voice, and songs destined to linger for a long, long time.

“Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” premieres Sept. 6 in select theaters.