Linda Eder - Gold (2002)

There are songs that just shouldn't be covered anymore, as timeless as they may seem. "Here Comes the Sun" is one of them, and Linda Eder seems to have made a major misstep in opening her album Gold with it. Her version is down-tempo, saccharine, and overly produced. It is a shame, because the rest of the album doesn't seem to follow suit. Taken as a whole, Gold may be one her strongest efforts, as she pours a lot of personal emotion and energy into a mix of classic pop standards and show tunes authored by her husband, Frank Wildhorn. Even songs with relatively simple lyrics, like "Until I Don't Love You Anymore," become touching with Eder's clear, passionate delivery. The album's second cover song, "Son of a Preacher Man," hits the mark a little more squarely than the first. Eder relishes the opportunity here to belt out the lyrics in full voice without needing to sound too pretty and manages to be a little bit sexy at the same time. Fans of Eder's previous show tune-laden works might find her journeys into blues, country, and rock styles here a little jarring, but this album represents growth for Eder, even if every song doesn't individually impress.