Ben and Leo Sidran
(Liquid 8 – 2003)
by Matt Robinson
Though these may not be the songs with which father Ben serenaded son Leo, it would not have been a bad thing had they been. Aside from Barney-esque rips of the Godfather of Soul (“Popcorn’s Got a Brand New Bag”) and whoever wrote “If You’re Happy and You Know It” (“I Wanna Grow Up and Be Like a Tree”), this more than cute collection contains songs that are sure not only to entertain (“The Tickle Monster”) but also edify (the bilingual title track and the geographical “Let’s Go to Goosy Galpa”).
Though the music may be beneath the talents of Jazz master Ben (who reveals his previous proclivities in the gentle swing of “The Yellow Bird”), elements like the vocal track recorded by Leo in 1984 (“Pushing and Shoving”) are charming and pleasant at the very least.
©2003, M. S. Robinson, ARR