Press Here And Now “Lauren Kennedy's "Here and Now" is bright and lively. "Here I Am" (from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) sets the tone, and the pace never lets up. Kennedy's performance is pure delight. What's more, she has assembled a collection of songs by the so-called younger generation of theatre writers. Some songs have been heard in lesser-known musicals, others are non-production numbers; all reflect especially well on their authors. Show tunes include Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin's "Pretending That I'm Somebody Else," one of Kennedy's songs (and a good one) from The Rhythm Club; Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham's "Just Not Now," from I Love You Because; Brown's "Mr. Hopalong Heartbreak," from Urban Cowboy of all things; Jeff Blumenkrantz and Libby Saines' "I'm Free," from Precious Little Jewel; and Adam Guettel's "Through the Mountain" from Floyd Collins. Numbers that are apparently not from theatre scores — and which are each highlights of the disc — include Andrew Lippa's "Spread a Little Joy"; Georgia Stitt's "My Lifelong Love"; Marcy Heisler & Zina Goldrich's "Apathetic Man"; and Dan Lipton's "You'll Want Me to Shine." And last but not least is "Easy," from an upcoming musical by Frank Wildhorn & Jack Murphy.” Steven Suskin Playbill.com
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PressHere And Now
“Lauren Kennedy's "Here and Now" is bright and lively. "Here I Am" (from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) sets the tone, and the pace never lets up. Kennedy's performance is pure delight. What's more, she has assembled a collection of songs by the so-called younger generation of theatre writers. Some songs have been heard in lesser-known musicals, others are non-production numbers; all reflect especially well on their authors. Show tunes include Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin's "Pretending That I'm Somebody Else," one of Kennedy's songs (and a good one) from The Rhythm Club; Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham's "Just Not Now," from I Love You Because; Brown's "Mr. Hopalong Heartbreak," from Urban Cowboy of all things; Jeff Blumenkrantz and Libby Saines' "I'm Free," from Precious Little Jewel; and Adam Guettel's "Through the Mountain" from Floyd Collins. Numbers that are apparently not from theatre scores — and which are each highlights of the disc — include Andrew Lippa's "Spread a Little Joy"; Georgia Stitt's "My Lifelong Love"; Marcy Heisler & Zina Goldrich's "Apathetic Man"; and Dan Lipton's "You'll Want Me to Shine." And last but not least is "Easy," from an upcoming musical by Frank Wildhorn & Jack Murphy.”
Steven SuskinPlaybill.com
“The best of the bunch is Lauren Kennedy's "Here and Now," a marvelous collection of show music and pop. Album highlight is Andrew Lippa's "Spread a Little Joy," followed closely by Jason Robert Brown's "In This Room" and Adam Guettel's "Through the Mountain" (from "Floyd Collins"). Kennedy's voice is so vibrant — at times so Streisan-dian — it's irresistible.”
Insidebayarea.comChad Jones
“Lauren Kennedy is a major supporter and admirer of this current generation of song-writers, and I'm sure the feeling is mutual. She has an innate understanding of the mate-rial she chooses, and blends a conventional Broadway style with contemporary wit and pop influence, making her an ideal fit with these songs.”
Randy RainbowBlogity Blahg Blahg
“Broadway star Lauren Kennedy isn't interested in a run-of-the-mill CD of classic showtunes. Instead, she turns to the Great White Way's newer voices, such as David Yazbek, former Michiganian Andrew Lippa and Georgia Stitt. The result is a collection just about anyone can like, often with more modern pop-friendly arrangements that would fit right in on the radio. Lippa's "Spread a Little Joy" is an infectious tune, and Stitt's "My Lifelong Love" has a wistful appeal. New parents will identify with Dan Lip-ton's "You'll Want Me to Shine." Kennedy herself shines brightly on this CD.”
Eric Henrickson The Detroit News
“She is a bubbly blonde, brimming with an adorable personality that makes her audience love her as soon as she steps out onstage. She began by saying that she wanted the night to be all about the music, and you could really tell how much she loves music and sharing it with a group of people. Whatever the style, Kennedy is always passionate and connected to the music in a very real way. Her voice is a high, pure belt, which is both sweet and powerful, and shows the emotion behind whatever she is singing.”
Stacy MaltinCabaret Exchange
“Raleigh, NC’s own Broadway star Lauren Kennedy showcased her impressive vocal and comic talents, and her remarkable versatility as a song stylist. Kennedy …is a vivacious vocalist with a big Broadway voice and a charismatic performer whether stroking a lyric until it purrs or putting just the right spin on a punch line.”
Robert W. McDowellThe Classical Voice
“Now take Lauren Kennedy. She can make you schoolboyishly or girlishly laugh along with Jason Robert Brown's rollicking "Mr. Hopalong Heartbreak," and, on the next track, redeem Frank Wildhorn and Jack Murphy's simplistic "Easy" by conjuring up the sincer-est sentiment of your never-forgotten first love.
Next, she offers the clever Marcy Heisler-Zina Goldrich tango, "Apathetic Man," adorable ingenuousness growing up before our very ears into cynical resignation as Kennedy bit-tersweetly laments: "Is there anything more sexy than an apathetic man …any drug more potent than an apathetic man?"
And, on track twelve, what a rousing hymn to feminine liberation in the Jeff Blumenkrantz-Libby Saines "I'm Free," brilliantly proclaiming a young woman's emanci-pation in body and soul.”
John SimonBroadway.com
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