Considered one of the best vocalists of all time, Karen Carpenter captured the attention of a generation with her unabashedly catchy pop music. The Carpenters’ beautiful, memorable love songs topped the Billboard charts with more than a dozen number one hits.

Now singer Lisa Rock and her 6-piece band are bringing the music of The Carpenters back to the stage with their spot-on renditions of Carpenters classics with Close to You: The Music of The Carpenters.

Lisa Rock, a singer as well as a playwright, has been performing to sold-out crowds for years. She’s written more than 15 original concerts and cabarets that have been seen across the country. Now, Rock has arranged a 6-piece band, complete with back-up singers, and together they are dedicated to creating a Carpenters experience like no other. Rock’s amazing four octave range allows her to sing the hits like We’ve Only Just Begun and Rainy Days and Mondays in their original key, keeping the songs genuine and more recognizable for the audience. When she hits the lower range of her marvelous voice, notes Chicago critic Alan Bresloff, ...if you close your eyes, you can see Karen Carpenter’s face.

But Rock goes beyond the music in her concert. She draws the crowd in with anecdotes about Karen and Richard Carpenter, their lives and how some of the songs originated. Like the story of We’ve Only Just Begun. It turns out, Richard Carpenter heard the song on a TV commercial, recognized the singers’ voices and called to see if there was a full version of the song. Indeed there was, and Richard turned that commercial jingle into a Billboard chart-topper and timeless love song. Through stories such as these, Rock engages the audience to the point where they can’t help but sing along with her and share the memories of The Carpenters and their music.

Close to You: The Music of The Carpenters debuted at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights, Illinois in 2010.

Jim Jarvis, Metropolis Executive Director said:

An amazing night of music...the sold-out crowd was singing along to nearly every song and gave Lisa and the band an immediate standing ovation. I must have had at least 40 patrons thank me for booking this show and asking when Lisa would be back. This is truly a rare gem of a show.