Linda Eder's Christmas Where You Are

One of my all-time favorite vocalists, Linda Eder, has released a new album of Christmas music today, available exclusively through her website. I've ordered my copy and can't WAIT to receive it!

Preview Linda Eder's new album!

If you've ever visited my Music Reviews page, it's no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Linda Eder. For her 12th album, Eder has re-teamed with composer Frank Wildhorn for Now, releasing March 1st. Here's the tracklisting:

1. Not Gonna Fall This Time
2. No Finer Man
3. Ordinary People
4. The Heat of the Night
5. What Did You See Inside the Stars?
6. Now
7. The Mad Hatter
8. A Woman In His Arms
9. Good Bye
10. What's Never Been Done Before
11. More Than Heaven
12. Living in the Shadows

While I absolutely adore all of Linda Eder's music, her work with Frank Wildhorn holds a special place in my heart - I am convinced he was born to write for her voice and she was meant to sing his songs. The combination is, well, magical! You can purchase the standard 12-track release through Amazon at this link.

Now, if the news of a new Linda Eder album wasn't exciting enough, Barnes & Noble will be selling an exclusive version with THREE bonus tracks! Here are the titles:

1. Please Don’t Make Me Love You ~ Bonus Track
2. The First Time I Saw Paris ~ Bonus Track
3. Sweet Song of Life ~ Bonus Track

You can purchse the B&N exclusive version of Now at this link.

Linda Eder's newly-redesigned website launched today, and there you can listen to a stream of the entire 12 song version of Now - which I've been thoroughly enjoying today. You can check out the  new music here.

Here's a short video you can check out on the making of the album:

Review: Soundtrack by Linda Eder

I couldn’t be happier with Linda Eder’s latest release, Soundtrack. And a huge thank you to both Eder & her label, Verve, for giving the fans new albums two years in a row – way to deliver, Eder & team! As a film music album, Soundtrack is a throwback of sorts to the type of music that garnered Eder legions of fans – Broadway showstoppers and standards – but with a generally more understated, intimate feel to the set. Her first album for Verve, The Other Side of Me, was a departure from that previous norm. While I loved that release, it’s decidedly more laid-back, country feel marked quite a change from releases like It’s No Secret Anymore or By Myself. Soundtrack sees Eder interpreting 11 songs from a wide variety of films, ranging from the Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer penned “Charade” (from the 1963 film of the same name) to “Falling Slowly” from the 2007 sleeper hit Once. From the well-known to the more obscure, Eder takes each song and puts her own unique spin on the lyric and arrangement. It would’ve been so easy for Eder to deliver power-ballad versions of classics like Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” or Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You.” However, I’d argue that you’ll be hard-pressed to find versions that are more elegant, understated, and emotive than Eder’s take on these classics. The lyric is front and center, and Eder proves once again that she’s a master at wringing ever drop of emotion, every nuance, from the words of a song. Another of my favorite tracks is the stunning version of “Falling Slowly” – the power in this arrangement and delivery gives one chills! While the Presley and Adams songs are perhaps not unexpected song choices, Eder also ventures into some surprising territory by putting her own unique spin on the BeeGee’s “If I Can’t Have You” and the Beatles’ “Help,” the latter a tribute to her son’s love for their music. Prior to hearing the album, some of the song choices (like the Beatles’ cover) had me wondering if Eder could successfully pull off her own version. I need not have doubted. The entire album has a cohesive, beautifully constructed feel to it, and Eder succeeds in making each song her own. Sountrack would be an excellent companion piece to Eder’s 2003 musicals-themed album, Broadway, My Way. It’s also a great set with which to introduce new fans to Eder’s work, in how it successfully melds her ability to interpret classic song with the more laid-back, country-touched arrangements she’s favored in recent years. This album is another winner from Ms. Eder, one I’ll be enjoying for years to come.

Review: The Other Side of Me by Linda Eder

I originally reviewed Linda Eder's first album for Verve in October 2008.


Linda Eder has always been known as primarily singer of show tunes and standards, a vocalist in the grand tradition of Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland. Her last album, By Myself: The Songs of Judy Garland, is perhaps the most glowing example of her voice’s ability to wrap itself around pop standards and make well-known songs her own while paying tribute to one of her vocal idols. If that album set a high standard (no pun intended) for reinventing the Great American Songbook, Eder’s latest – The Other Side of Me – finds the accomplished vocalist doing a complete 180-degree stylistic turn. The results are stunning. The last time Eder attempted to branch out into pop-country fare with 2002’s Gold, the results were mixed with one too many less than stellar covers and weak arrangements, mixed with some outstanding gems (like “Gold”). With the backing of a new label (Verve), Eder and producer Billy Jay Stein have crafted a solid album of country/pop songs with arrangements that perfectly frame Eder’s voice, which is perhaps at its most relaxed and joyful. Eder’s cover of “If I Could” blows Celine Dion’s (from her Miracle album) version out of the water. The song brims with emotion, Eder’s voice pure and crystalline backed by a piano-based arrangement. Cover-wise Eder also delivers gorgeous renderings of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” and the Indigo Girls’ “Ghost,” the latter of which has become one of my favorite Eder songs. It’s absolutely breath-taking. Songwriter extraordinaire Kara DioGuardi (who penned the Celine Dion hit “Taking Chances”) contributes “Back to Life,” an upbeat number that’s just one of many cuts on the album that could potentially find a home on country radio. Along with “Ghost,” my other favorite song on the album is the Linda Eder-penned “Waiting For the Fall,” a funky, blues-rocker of a number that recalls the likes of Carrie Underwood’s smash hit “Before He Cheats.” The Other Side of Me is a winner for Eder – she’s taken a risk that’s paid off in spades artistically and solidifies her position as one of today’s pre-eminent vocalists in everything from pop to country fare. (If you can, pick up the Barnes and Noble exclusive edition of TOSOM with the bonus track “Everything Comes and Goes” – it’s worth it!)

Review: By Myself by Linda Eder

I originally reviewed this fantastic album back in 2006.


By Myself: The Songs of Judy Garland, by Linda Eder, is a brilliant album. I absolutely love it. It easily makes the top five in my favorite albums of 2005 (if I were to ever bother to create such a ranking). My fears about losing Linda's crystal-clear voice in a tribute to her idol, Judy Garland, have proven to be unfounded. One of many reasons to rejoice about this album is that there is no Frank Wildhorn music on this disc. I like a lot of Wildhorn's work (the Broadway shows Jekyll & Hyde and The Scarlet Pimpernel), but I am thrilled that Linda is finally getting a chance to expand her recording repertoire (her 2002 album Gold contains some of Wildhorn's less than stellar work, as well as some truly insipid, uninspired covers...I think there are three good songs on this disc, maybe). The arrangements on By Myself are absolutely fantastic...they pay a fresh tribute to Judy and her work without sounding overblown or trite.

In "By Myself" Linda's voice is eerily similar to Judy's...she emulates Garland's every vocal nuance to perfection. Perhaps this is done a bit too well...the arrangement is fantastic but I would've liked to hear more of Linda's trademark crystal clear high notes. Incidentally this is one of my favorite songs ever. However, the Judy comparisons end for me with the 2nd track, "Almost Like Being In Love/This Can't Be Love"--this song swings with a stellar, sparkling arrangement and Linda's voice soars. This sets the tone for the rest of the disc, which alternates between upbeat, swinging numbers and slow, smoky jazz (whoever first used the adjective "smoky" to describe jazz was brilliant). "It Never Was You" is an gorgeous ballad that serves as the perfect showcase for Eder's achingly poignant vocals. Linda outdoes her previous recording of "Over the Rainbow" (on It's Time) with her new version...and if you listen to them both that's really saying something...each one is stellar. "Rainbow's End" is the one original song on the disc, written by Jack Murphy. It's a tribute song to Judy that tells her story, and it fits in beautifully with the rest of the album.

Eder has the kind of voice that was born to breath new life into these classic songs, and as a fan I'm thrilled that she's finally had the opportunity to record an album of standards and to do it so well. I hope in future releases that she revisits this type of music, but perhaps she will be able to blend the old with new jazz/pop songs? Jamie Cullum is one of the best examples of doing this successfully, IMHO. We shall see...if this is any indication the future is bright for Linda's recording career. To compare Linda's incredible tribute to the original, check out the Essential Judy Garland, a one disc compilation of Garland's work that just released summer 2006.