Ben Tatar And The Tatar Tots: “Seconds” (2021) CD Review

Ben Tatar And The Tatar Tots formed in 2014, and put out their first release that year. Titled Food!, its tracks were all related to food. They followed that up last year with the appropriately titled Seconds, continuing that food theme. That’s right, all of this group’s songs deal with food. I assume there is a buffet set up at their live performances. Ben Tatar is a music teacher in Illinois, and plays multiple instruments, including trombone, glockenspiel and guitar. He also wrote all of the material on this album, and provides the vocals on these tracks. He is joined by Mike Bruno on drums and percussion, Kevin Kozel on keyboards, Colin Scott on bass, Brandon Hunt on electric guitar, Anthony Bruno on tenor saxophone and clarinet, and Quentin Coaxum on trumpet, along with some guests on various tracks.

The album opens with a song titled “Jambalaya.” No, it’s not the oft-covered Hank Williams song, but an original composition. Still, it has that New Orleans vibe, with that Bo Diddley-like beat. The LowDown Brass Band joins the group on this track. It has a playful beginning, like an announcement that the Tatar Tots are back. “We heard that you were asking for more to eat/Well, grab yourself a plate and find yourself a seat.” There is also a funny reference to “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer”: “One fork, one spoon, one bowl” (after all, this music is aimed mainly at children). The song also draws a line between food and music: “I like a little trumpet in my dish/A little bit of sax is my next wish.” Because, yes, we all want to be served some delicious tunes. This is a fun tune, and I love the horns. That’s followed by “Peanut Butter!” (again, an original composition, not to be confused with the Marathons song, which was later covered by J. Geils Band and Billy Vera And The Beaters). It is sort of a love song to peanut butter, and has a fun lounge vibe.There is some humorous backing vocal work, like the line “He likes them equally,” referring to the line “Creamy or the crunchy, it don’t matter to me.” Anthony Bruno joins Ben Tatar on vocals, as well as tenor saxophone and clarinet. Corbin Andrick plays flute on this track. Even as the track is coming to its close, it offers some cute spoken word lines “Excuse me, miss, have you tried peanut butter today?”

“Can You Write A Song About Broccoli?” is delightfully goofy right from its first line, which is its title line, “Can you write a song about broccoli?” Again, the backing vocals responding “It can’t be done, it can’t be done” is part of its charm. Amyna Love and Meleesa Sullivan provide backing vocals. And of course I love the brass work. Then “I Got The Greens” is a bit of funky blues, featuring some nice work on keys. “Oh, I hit the salad bar/I said I got the greens/I got spinach and avocado/And even lima beans.” Ah yes, avocado makes everything better. The greens are a good antidote for the blues, and that’s what Ben Tatar is saying here. There is a cool instrumental section in the middle. That’s followed by “The Breakfast Song (Start It Right)” has an easygoing vibe, like a 1970s folk-pop song. “Today will be a good day if I start it right.”

There is a wonderful and large brass section added for “Bake Me A Cake,” giving this track a big band sound, which is great. “Bake me a cake, make me a pie/Oh, I shouldn’t need a reason why.” Indeed! My sweetheart and I tell ourselves exactly that whenever we order a chocolate pie at Republic Of Pie. No reason needed, other than it is delicious. This is another fun number. Then the LowDown Brass Band joins the group again on “Back To The Buffet,” another enjoyable track. In addition to the excellent work from the brass section, this track features some very cool work on percussion. There is a playful spoken word section halfway through: “Chocolate on turkey, that’s gross/Is that meat, what kind of meat is that?/I don’t know either, did they have that here or did you bring that?/I don’t think you can take that whole tray of salmon.” That spoken word section even mentions tater tots, a nod to the band itself.

When I first glanced at the track list on the back of the CD case, the song I was most interested in was “Thinking Of Pizza.” Pizza always works for me. At work, when they bring in pizza as the evening snack, some people grumble. I don’t. As long as the pizza is halfway decent (nothing from Domino’s Pizza, please), I would welcome it every day, twice a day. So yeah this song is for me. “Let’s sing about something that we all love,” Ben Tatar says in the song’s introduction. “Every morning, noon and night I’m thinking of pizza/Every time I feel uptight, I’m thinking of pizza/I like mine with extra cheese/Brings me down to my knees.” That’s followed by “Oh Cookie,” a delightful song that makes me laugh every time at the beginning when he sings the title line. It is adorable and innocent, just what we need these days. When he sings, “Holy guacamole,” I can’t help but think of that old George Carlin routine about food. And of course I agree with the line “Avocado, avocado, avocado makes everything great.” I’ve said that line many times (in fact, I think I said something like that earlier in this very review). This track also features some nice work on guitar. The album then concludes with another delightful tune, “Sweet Nectarine,” which has an old-time jazz vibe. LowDown Brass Band once more joins the group, and Al Scorch plays banjo. This track feels like a great celebration.

CD Track List

1. Jambalaya
2. Peanut Butter!
3. Can You Write A Song About Broccoli?
4. I Got The Greens
5. The Breakfast Song (Start It Right)
6. Bake Me A Cake
7. Back To The Buffet
8. Thinking Of Pizza
9. Oh Cookie
10. Sweet Nectarine

Seconds was released on November 12, 2021.