Customer Reviews

El Elefante

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first heard Ben and Leo Sidran's work on NPR's All Things Considered and I immediately went to purchase it for my young son. Ben and Leo have put together an album that's fun for both children and adults, replete with bilingual rhymes and a jazzy feel reminiscent of styles ranging from Ronaldo Folegatti to Maceo Parker. The songs are lighthearted and playful. All in all, a wonderful family collaboration and enojoyable to music lovers of all ages.

My 2 year old is addicted to this CD! We listen to "her music" almost every morning while eating breakfast and every evening before bed. The nice thing about it is - I'm addicted to it too! It's fun and original. A very nice departure from the traditional toddler songs (wheels on the bus, itsy bitsy spider, etc.) The mixture of Spanish and English is great - it's wonderful to hear my daughter babbling in 2 languages.

I really like Ben and Leo Sidran but this was not what I expected at all. I should have returned it. Doing this review reminds me I need to visit their website for a quick look. I look to these guys for a lot more.

This Album was a great discovery at the local public library and we couldn't wait to get our own copy, which currently resides in the car for our two-year-old to enjoy on the way to day care - Dad starts with "Let's Go," then we proceed to the car and listen to bilingual humour with a slight reggae beat (kind of a slow ska, with horns). "Let's go, Baminos" Our family has really enjoyed Dan Zanes, Pete Seeger, Raffi, etc., but this seems to be a nice departure from the folk genre, without getting too annoying (try both of Gunnar Madsen's albums as well!). My son seems to enjoy singing with the album and likes to "shoot the juice to the moon" while pointing to the sky (juice appears to be going to the moose, Bruce). "Old Man" Dad prefers "Popcorn's got a brand new bag," which reminds him of a certain funk/soul staple of years gone by. Interesting to see that another reviewer likes the "pushing and shoving" song - at first, I didn't like the out-of-tune child's voice, but it has grown on me and reminds me of a little Ziggy Marley singing in rememberance of his father at Reggae Sunsplash '81. This is certainly a goofy album, but it is one that parents and their kids should be able to enjoy over and over again....

I had the honor of meeting Ben and Leo when they visited and performed for a small group while promoting their CD. This CD is great! I bought it when my boy was just a baby and to be honest...I played it for myself.

My favorite song is "Pushin and shoven" which Leo wrote and recorded when he was just a little tike. I believe he said he was six. He's now an adult. Leo traveled and lived in Spain where he learned to love the Spanish language. Some of the songs have spanish words for the kids to learn.

Buy this CD...your kids will love it and you will too!

If you're like me with a toddler, you probably don't have time to listen your old CDs but this one is one you can both enjoy. I also heard about this one on NPR. It has good tunes in musical styles and in its lyrics with great lessons for the kids. The popcorn song is very much "kid" but it has the old blues classic rhythm. "I want to grow up" is excellent in its message that the kids can grow up to whatever they wish and that "you should wait and see and find out what I'm going to be." All in all, nice to listen for both parents and kids. Not too mushy & not too kidlike, very original and definitely beats the ice-cream truck music tunes. I'm hoping the father-son duo have a new CD out soon.