Bossa Eyes

LEON GETTLER The Age Green Guide - Australian Reveiw

     

“DON’T be fooled by the title. Sidney embraces the Latin American sounds but goes much further. It’s a brave, innovative journey – intriguing to listen to – that leaves the listener wondering where they will be taken. One of the best examples is her take on Wayne Shorter’s Infant Eyes. Its complicated, convoluted melody line would defy most vocalists. Backed by Bob Sedergreen on piano, Sidney holds it together, creating one of the album’s more intriguing passages. Sidney’s interpretation of the lyrics stands out. She understands them and brings them to life.

Other non-bossa tracks include the Kate Bush classic Man with the Child in His Eyes and Johnny Mercer’s Tangerine, which is given a Latin flavour, thanks largely to Todd Sidney’s work on piano and Denis Close on Brazilian percussion. Unforgettable gets a bossa makeover, too. Check out Agua de Beber and Corcovado, where she gives the words more power and presence than most vocalists. For a Melbourne woman, Sidney’s handle on the Portuguese language is pretty good.
Her Latin rendition of Moonlight in Vermont is special, too, transforming an otherwise overdone, tired song into something fresh and new, thanks in no small part to her interpretation of the lyrics.

Her own composition, Catching the Wave, has a beguiling flow.

There’s enough her to captivate most listeners.”