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rocket ship beach cd review

vocalist and guitarist dan zanes was one of the mainstays (along with his brother warren) of boston-based '80s roots-rock band the del fuegos. having become a dad six years ago, zanes is the latest rock 'n roller to make the leap into the kids' music world, and his inaugural release, rocket ship beach, is the perfect family sing-along.

zanes has roped in some celebrity pals to help him out, including sheryl crow (who warbles a sprightly "polly wolly doodle") and suzanne vega (who does her thing on "erie canal"), but they're far from being the only draw here. rocket ship beach's main appeal is zanes' intimate acquaintance with musical americana, coupled with a sure instinct for which songs will most delight kids. he and his pals cook up solid gold (yet hardly overexposed) standards like "bushel and a peck," "goodbye old paint," and "buckeye jim," rendering them in living-room-hootenanny style.

particularly winning are the caribbean numbers performed by zanes' fellow brooklyn denizens, the impromptu west indian vocal group the sandy girls-including a reggaeified nursery-rhyme called "father goose" (led by righteous dancehall rapper rankin' don).

rocket ship beach also features some of the most ingenious, earth-friendly packaging we've seen: the cd comes in a plastic-free chunky board book, with delightful liner notes by zanes and winsome drawings by his brother-in-law donald saaf.

-reviewed by moira mccormick