Crash Test Dummies @ World Cafe Live
Crash Test Dummies
w/Rob Morseberger
May 15th, 2011
@ World Cafe Live
By: David Turcotte
Crash Test Dummies have been embarking on a comeback of late. Following their 2010 release Oooh La-La!, singer Brad Roberts and Ellen Reide have reunited the band with rhythm guitarist Stuart Cameron as a three-piece acoustic ensemble. 
This latest album is essentially a collaboration between Brad Roberts and producer Stewart Lerman, with Ellen Reid adding airy backing vocals and harmony. The album is brighter and more eclectic than much of their earlier material, featuring a number of 70′s toy instruments and strings.
“I met Stewart and he wanted to just write music for the sake of writing music,” Roberts explains, breaking a five-year writing hiatus to work with Lerman. “I think the music is better than it could have ever been because we were writing it for ourselves – we weren’t aiming at a demographic anyhow – but this couldn’t be a clearer case of us being little boys.”
The trio stopped through Philadelphia’s famed World Cafe Live as part of their 2010-2011 tour, with pianist and singer/songwriter Rob Morseberger opening up. Crash Test Dummies played a number of their songs from Oooh, La, La!, while also indulging the audience with their classics “Superman”, “Mmm, Mmm, Mmm”, and Ellen Reid’s hit “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead” from the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack.
Although Crash Test Dummies performance was a little uninspired and lacking in energy, the audience seemed to appreciate Brad Robert’s iconic voice and story telling interactions between songs. The band played a well balanced set that highlighted their current work as well as their Grammy nominated hits of the early nineties.
The Crash Test Dummies have just completed their 2011 tour dates, but should hopefully be hitting the road again soon. For more information on upcoming dates and releases, follow Crash Test Dummies here.
