"Live in Lexington: Under the Copper Beech" CD Review...

LIVE IN LEXINGTON: UNDER THE COPPER BEECH’ with BEN RUDNICK & FRIENDS AWARD-WINNING BAND BRINGS LIVE CONCERT EXPERIENCE TO FAMILIES ON NEW CD

"With legions of devoted fans throughout the country, FIVE Parents’ Choice® Awards in their hip pocket, and a tsunami of critical praise, Ben Rudnick & Friends stand in the front row of the best of today’s family music performers. With yards of acclaim for their studio recordings, it’s easy to forget that Ben Rudnick & Friends is first and foremost a live band! In the spirit of sharing a Ben Rudnick & Friends live concert of historical significance, Ben Rudnick announces the August 30 release of his ninth album, Live in Lexington: Under the Copper Beech. (Bartlett Ave. Records, $14.99, for all ages, run time 78 minutes).

Affectionately nicknamed “the Grateful Dead for kids,” Ben Rudnick & Friends create a jam band dynamic that transforms their concerts into events. The band’s stratospheric level of adventurous musicianship brilliantly beams across a spectrum of bluegrass, light folk, calypso, country, second-line New Orleans jazz, and the many flavors of rock. The result: kids and grownups dance together, older folks happily recognize many songs, and a sense of community fun dominates the scene.

Ben Rudnick & Friends take great pleasure in introducing kids and families to music that is an important part of America’s cultural fabric. Rather than playing down to kids, Rudnick assumes that children enjoy listening to a variety of music, much of which would not necessarily be labeled as “kids’ music.” When performing for children in a family audience setting, Ben Rudnick & Friends do so in a thoroughly honest way, bringing in music from many sources: folk tunes, cowboy songs, bluegrass melodies, and songs made popular by great singers of the 1950s like Hank Williams and Buddy Holly, in addition to Ben Rudnick originals.

BEN RUDNICK & FRIENDS– SUMMER/FALL 2011 CONCERT HIGHLIGHTS
August 18 Town Stage Bristol, NH
August 26 Boston Museum of Science Boston, MA
September 24 & 25 Life is Good Festival Canton, MA
October 29 Symphony Space New York, NY
November 12 World Café Live Philadelphia, PA

What we thought:  This CD was an instant family favorite!  Each musician in this band is super talented and their music is engaging and infectious!  You can sing along to the fun songs and dance to the lively beats.  You will recognize some well-known tunes and enjoy some new ones as well.  We really enjoyed the colorful characters of Rudnick's songs and his quirky storytelling ability.  The whole family can have a blast with this CD!  ABCD Diaries gives "Live in Lexington: Under the Copper Beech" an A+!


Buy It: You can find this CD at your favorite music store starting August 30th!



Disclosure: ABCD Diaries was given a copy of this CD for review purposes only. We were in no other way compensated. The opinions expressed in this post are ours and ours alone.