Linda Eder is perhaps the most popular new interpreter of theatrical songs to emerge during the ’90s. A disciple of Barbra Streisand early on, Eder gradually forged her own vocal style, and branched out from show tunes to include pop standards, light swing, and adult contemporary balladry in her repertoire. As a stage actress, Eder has worked primarily with her husband, composer Frank Wildhorn, who often designed his material specifically for her (and produced her recordings as well). It was Wildhorn’s musical adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde that first catapulted Eder to stardom, and she has continued to rely on his pen for a good portion of her recorded output, though her albums of the new millennium have increasingly broadened her comfort zone. Eder’s first holiday album, Christmas Stays the Same, appeared in 2000. She returned in 2002 with Gold, a less traditional, more guitar-based set of contemporary pop that featured covers of songs by the Beatles, Dusty Springfield, Boz Scaggs, and Dobie Gray. Still, Wildhorn material dominated the record, including the well-received title track, which was to be a cornerstone of the new, unfinished musical Camille Claudel. “Gold” also appeared on Eder’s follow-up album, 2003’s Broadway My Way, an album of show tune standards that backed away from the more contemporary touches of its predecessor. She really changed horses for 2008’s The Other Side of Me, a compelling album of rock-edged country, then swung back into familiar pop theater territory for 2009’s Soundtrack. In 2011, Eder released Now. She regularly tours the globe.
