The A capella opener ‘Voices in my Head’ seems inspired of a Rasta rhyme (referencing Bob Marley and the Wailers) touched up by the Swingle Singers and a gospel choir with an afro pop turn in there.  The doggerel, “Oh I’m lying on the side of my bed /Listening to the voices in my head /Trying to figure out what they said,” is neatly bundled up in this animate package. But this song being an exception on The Happy Goat which establishes that Sid Coutto is a quirky songwriter but it’s his striking skills as a vocalist/instrumentalist/programmer that shine through. Coutto plays up the funk factor – plenty of snappy (very audible) basslines and jangle pop – and its mostly about getting his funnies straight. For the most part it’s a comic riot (‘Concert Piano,’ ‘Forest of Doom,’ ‘Wait Till The Night’s Out,) with his suggestions of a bad trip on mushrooms (’Forest of Doom’) to rib-tickling sexual innuendos (‘Wait Till the Night’s Out.’) ‘Happy’ - his smooth bit of wisdom on cracking happiness – swims in a collage of sparkling buoyant strings with a simple yet resonant verse wins over. Nothing ever gets too serious here, even as Coutto slips in caution about drunk driving on ‘Taxi Driver’ or against tobacco on ‘Tough on Tobacco’ The sonic exploration on The Happy Goat is also noteworthy, this guy has a fine ear for variety with bits of about everything and anything floating in this soundscape. This album has its downers in ‘Voices In My Head’ and ‘Already Told You’ which lose out on originality but Coutto more than makes up for it.

Key Tracks: ‘Happy’ and ‘Tough on Tobacco’