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Propelled by groove, energy, and a theatrical performance style, Laura Benjamin and her dynamic band are the next big thing on the Atlanta pop-rock music scene. With eclectic use of Latin beats, jazz chord progressions, and even country-style three-part harmony, the music is innovative and multi-dimensional. Influences include the Corrs, 10,000 Maniacs, the Dixie Chicks, Rufus Wainwright, R.E.M., and Sarah McLachlan, with a nod to the jazz greats like the Gershwins, Duke Ellington and Irving Berlin. The band has just released the debut album, let it go, featuring indie-pop-americana originals.

Says premier vocal producer Jan Smith of Atlanta-based Jan Smith Studios: "Love Laura Benjamin’s debut CD – mostly because she has the nerve to be unique and write material with content and melody that’s memorable. Somewhere between a tamed version of Tori Amos and Laura Nyro revisited is where you’ll find Laura Benjamin’s music. Lyrically sound, vocally unique, and above the cut of mainstream nonsense. Be sure to check out my fave-rave – “What Would He Think”. It’ll make you think – LOVE that!!

LB places emotional honesty at the heart of her songwriting; several of her songs are reflections of love and loss. Still other songs’ capture more whimsical concerns – standing on one’s own, putting down roots in unexpected places, even musing over the fate of no-longer-planet Pluto. Her lyrical style is both quirky and accessible, while her knack for catchy melodic hooks gives the songs a universal appeal. Certain lyrics have been known to make listeners tear up, but fundamentally, this album is about perseverance and optimism, with a healthy dose of self-deprecation.

LB began her full-time music career shortly after graduating from Yale University in 1999. From 2001 – 2004, she and several of her current bandmates performed widely around the southeast as members of the swing band The Zoots, with Benjamin as a lead vocalist and keyboard player. Since then, she has also performed extensively as a solo artist, been a featured member of a musical satire troupe, and been involved in several other bands. In 2006 Benjamin wrote, arranged and began performing the powerful originals featured on her brand new album, and formed The LB Collective. ..

1) LB wrote her first song, "Volunteers make the World go Round", at the age of 10, and it became the theme song for the Rockland Psychiatric Volunteer Luncheon, where she played and sang it for 200+guests

2)A great deal of momentous band decisions are made over hash browns (scattered, smothered, and covered) at the Waffle House. The band also has frequently taken up the menu’s suggestion to “try the pie”, and recommends the chocolate cream. Incidentally, there is no additional charge for “scattered” hashbrowns

3) In her youth, LB played both a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, and “Tom Thumb” (the world’s smallest man) in Barnum. Several years later, she was the starting center for her high school basketball team.