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| Learning to Bend | 
 enlarge | List Price: $12.98
Buy New: $8.16
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 7 reviews)
Sales Rank: 3163
Category: Music
Artist: Ben Sollee
Publisher: R.E.D. Distribution
Studio: R.E.D. Distribution
Manufacturer: R.E.D. Distribution
Label: R.E.D. Distribution
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.8 x 0.2
MPN: 229152
UPC: 718122915231
EAN: 0718122915231
ASIN: B0018OAP20
Release Date: June 10, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | A Few Honest Words | | • | How To See The Sun Rise | | • | Bury Me With My Car | | • | Bend | | • | It's Not Impossible | | • | I Can't | | • | Prettiest Tree on the Mountain | | • | Panning for Gold | | • | A Change is Gonna Come | | • | Built for This | | • | Copper and Malachite |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
It was the cat-poles around the lake at his grandfather s farm that inspired Ben Sollee s debut album Learning To Bend. The frailty of those awkward looking plants standing stoutly against winds that challenged even the strongest of nearby trees is an affecting metaphor for human struggle and perseverance. This idea is central to Learning To Bend.
Key tracks on Learning To Bend include two reactions to the current political landscape, A Few Honest Words, and an adaptation of Sam Cooke s A Change is Gonna Come, in which Ben has written updated, politically relevant verses. Other highlights of the album are the playful, soul track, How To See the Sun Rise and the vulnerable yet insistent It s Not Impossible, where Ben laments the unfortunate status quo that boys don t cry.
Ben has found considerable success in recent years through his ability to bend. In 2007, he was named one of NPR s Top Ten Unknown Artists of the Year. His distinctive cello technique and soulful voice have been marinating for years in his work with avant-garde bluesman Otis Taylor, The Sparrow Quartet, (featuring banjo-master Bela Fleck), and on the internationally known Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour.
Being born and raised in Kentucky, Ben is very proud to have recorded Learning To Bend with Duane Lundy in Lexington, KY and releasing the album with SonaBLAST! Records, a Louisville based label. In fact, almost all aspects of the record are rooted in Kentucky in some form - from the photography, to the design of the disc, to the videos.
Ben s unique performance experience and creative vision trump his 24 years and traditional classical training; he is poised to emerge as a solo artist, bridging genres and demographics with earnest and dynamic songwriting. However, the single most salient quality of Learning to Bend, is Ben s contagiously optimistic worldview. Ben is not just expressing his personal quest for flexibility, he is asking the entire country to learn to bend, learn how to cry, learn how to see the sun rise... He is at the forefront of a movement that is happening right now: a zeitgeist in which a nation can face reality and empower itself to evolve and feel deeply and stand up for the power of hope.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
Amazing artist October 18, 2008
I went to the "Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow quartet" concert yesterday. And there was one song solo performance by Ben from this album. And it was truly amazing. The crowd kept clapping, for quite a while after the song. It made Bela Fleck quip , "You didn't see that coming did you?" . Over all a very talented artist. Amazing album. I totally love it.
what a treat! August 22, 2008
i love this cd! i purchased it thinking it was solo cello and was marvelously surprised. it's unusual, well-crafted, witty, great arrangements, a very special new voice (accompanied by other great musicians).
The Reason Why... July 17, 2008
Like others here, I came to "know" Ben through his collaboration with Abigail Washburn. Since I was a complete stranger to the world of Bluegrass, the idea of a cello being used outside of "classical" music gave me much pause. Enter Ben Sollee, who's incredible musical talent takes his instrument where a cello would not normally be found. With Abby's music, he adds a richness and a color that create a depth in which to get wonderfully lost. Here, with his own sounds and lyrics, he takes the listener down many musical paths, each enjoyable, often thought-provoking, all to be listened to over and over again. Congratulations to Ben, and to all who have the brains to buy this album!
 Learning to Bend July 15, 2008
This album is worth buying if for only the track "Its Not Impossible".
The more I listen to this album, the more I like it.
You will not be disappointed!
Music with magnitude June 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Some musicians are merely entertainers. Ben Sollee is one of the few who is truly an artist. "Learning to Bend" is melodic sculpture, something forged of tone and tempo that transcends the prevailing belief of the recording industry that music is simply a product. This album is not a commodity. These songs, instead, are Ben's gift.
On "Learning to Bend", Ben's solid and soulful vocals (occasionally joined by Abigail Washburn) endow earnest songcraft with stunning emotional potency. His innovative cocktail of finger-plucked and bowed cello form the backbone of the recordings, but a veritable menagerie of instrumentalists (including but not limited to: a string quartet, harp, vibraphone, saxophone, the occasional drum, and a cameo by banjo maestro Bela Fleck on the playful and poignant "It's Not Impossible") contribute true magnitude to "Learning to Bend".
Lyrics with something more to impart than a mere story populate this album. There are lessons residing here, disguised as song. Prepare yourself to be taught how to allow music to move you again, how to let it build you up and break you, incite then quiet you.
I have come to the conclusion that Ben Sollee does not keep his heart under the loose board in the floor as stated in the gorgeously scored lullaby "Copper and Malachite" that puts this album to bed. Ben Sollee's heart is in his music.
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