Dan Zanes Albums (10)
'The Fine Friends Are Here!'
Release Date 1/1/2009
Tracks 21
Label Festival Five/Razor & Tie
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Former Del Fuego Dan Zanes has been anything but dormant since the rootsy college rock collective called it quits in 1990. Six years after his 1995 solo debut, Cool Down Time, Zanes discovered a way to merge his two favorite things (fatherhood and music) into a sustainable career with a series of folk albums for kids that has proven to be just as enjoyable for their larger counterparts. After snagging a Grammy Award in 2007 for the singalong album Catch That Train, Zanes, ever the cultural sponge, gathered his musician friends from New York's Latino community and began work on a collection of songs from the Spanish-speaking Americas. The resulting Nueva York!, referred to frequently in print by Zanes as his "pro-immigration CD," features 17 high quality songs, mostly traditional, that touch on many Latin folk styles like cumbia, merengue, son, and bachata. Zanes brought in some serious muscle this time around, including Marc Ribot, Panamanian actress/singer Daphne Rubin-Vega, Latin jazz singer Lila Downs, Mexican rockers the Villa-Lobos Brothers, and Afro-Colombian roots ensemble La Cumbiamba Eneyé, and he allows the spotlight to fall on them more times than not, resulting in a fun, all-inclusive listening experience that's a lot like sitting on a hot set of apartment steps during a summer block party. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'Catch That Train!'
Release Date 5/16/2006
Tracks 18
Label Festival Five
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Parades and Panoramas: 25 Songs Collected by Carl Sandburg'
Release Date 9/14/2004
Tracks 25
Label Festival Five
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Fans who have followed Dan Zanes since 2001's Rocket Ship Beach probably noticed that the usual hubbub didn't attend the release of his 2004 album Sea Music. That was by design -- Zanes wasn't sure a crowd accustomed to "Polly Wolly Doodle" could handle songs not aimed squarely at kids (drinking and general debauchery were among the subjects). He was wrong, of course -- Sea Music is among his mostly highly regarded discs -- and one hopes the lesson will lead to the masses discovering Parades and Panoramas, possibly his best and definitely his most ambitious CD yet. Zanes, wild-haired and wildly optimistic, refuses to strut the musical easy street: Panoramas is adapted directly from Carl Sandburg's 1927 book The American Songbag, a collection of the poet's observations of a "ragbag" America. Because of its origins, the disc can sound straight out of a Coen Brothers movie -- you can practically see the dust kicking up on "Roll the Chariot" and "The Railroad Cars Are Coming." But the effect, rather than dulling the music's colors and textures or sweeping it into a corner alongside other Americana oddities, brightens what's on offer. Credit the unsurpassed inventiveness of Zanes and his usual collaborators, including Donald Saaf, Barbara Brousal, and Cynthia Hopkins. Some of these 25 songs are silly ("The Monkey's Wedding"), some devastatingly sad ("Lonesome Road"), and some flat-out, stunningly beautiful ("When the Curtains of Night Are Pinned Back"). All, however, will stay with you and your kids, permanently pinning back the curtains on a panorama you never knew existed but are enchanted to discover. ~ Tammy LaGorce, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Former Del Fuegos frontman Dan Zanes continues his homespun children's folk series with a set of shanties and other nautical delights on the appropriately titled Sea Music. In the grand tradition of briny stalwarts like Ewan MacColl, Paul Clayton, and A.L. Lloyd, Zanes keeps things simple, employing a small folk ensemble and chorus that allow the songs the infinite headroom that their menial subject matter requires. As expected, there's an underlying sense of whimsy that caters to the younger crowd, but Zanes seems genuinely inspired by the genre, offering heartfelt renditions of classics like "Shenandoah" and "Mingulay Boat Song" with a deep historical reverence. The performances are raw and authentic -- they were recorded in his kitchen -- and the instrumentation flirts with country, blues, and British folk with grace and humor. The Smithsonian Folkways-style packaging and extensive liner notes convey his passion for preservation, providing everything from chord changes to recommended recordings for further study, but it's the earthy enthusiasm that bubbles up beneath work songs like "Cape Cod Girls" and "Blow Ye Winds in the Morning" that resonates the deepest. Sea Music is quietly bombastic, thoroughly charming, and surprisingly authentic, especially when the quintessential drunk sailor song, "All for Me Grog," is led by an 11-year-old. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Former Del Fuegos frontman Dan Zanes is one of the few artists making children's music that appeals to both kids and their parents. House Party is his fourth kids' record and it shows no drop-off in energy or imagination. He and his band create lighthearted, easily rocking tunes with mostly acoustic instruments. Zanes has a great voice for kids' records; loose and light, he sounds more like an older brother than some stuffy old teacher. The tunes are a mix of traditional songs like "Old Joe Clark," "Down in the Valley," and "Hop Up Ladies" and Zanes originals like the fun "House Party Time" and the laid-back country rocker "Sunny Old Sun." A hallmark of Zanes' records is the wide range of guests who show up to join in the fun. Here, Debbie Harry lends some vocals to a stately "Waltzing Matilda," Bob Weir helps out on "Wabash Cannonball," Angélique Kidjo helps romp through "Jamaica Farewell," and Philip Glass plays pump organ on the sweet ballad "A Place for Us." A couple of the songs feature a group of kids known as the Dandelion Chorus adding vocals, and there is plenty of unique instrumentation to keep the recorded from sounding bland. House Party is a rare kids' record that doesn't condescend to kids; maybe that is why parents, and maybe even people without kids, will find it to be a whole lot of fun. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Dan Zanes has certainly come a long way from those sepia-toned days in the '80s, when he fronted boozy alternative rockers the Del Fuegos. The new millennium found him trying to reconcile the seemingly disparate strands of family life (as a devoted father) and his artistic ambitions. He solved the conundrum by recording "family-friendly" albums in his basement and releasing them on his own label. These are clearly songs aimed at kids -- but they are well crafted enough to be equally enjoyable for adults. For this album, Zanes sought to undertake some themes that evoked the night, and, as usual, he enlisted a stellar cast of "friends" to help round out his muse. The result is a gorgeously reflective work for all ages. One listen to "Night Owl," which pits Zanes' gentle, rootsy vocals atop a languid country- blues acoustic figure, offers clear evidence of this music's broad appeal. Zanes, supported by Aimee Mann's guest vocals, even adds owl hoots for the kids -- yet the track is sturdy enough that it wouldn't be out of place on a Steve Earle album. Another highlight is a wildly original interpretation of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World," with guests Lou Reed and the beatboxers/rappers of the Rubí Theater Company. Old punker John Doe (of X) even comes out for the kids, teaming up with Zanes on Woody Guthrie's "So Long (It's Been Good to Know You)." Dar Williams also pops up on a stirring, mystery-laden version of the traditional "Wild Mountain Thyme." Despite the homespun nature of these projects, major publications (Billboard, the New York Times) have been taking notice and offering raves. Night Time is clear evidence why. Zanes is onto something special with his non-patronizing, well-intended family tunes. It wouldn't be out of place to call this adult alternative music for kids. Paradoxical for sure, but this is good stuff for hip moms and dads to listen to when the kids aren't even around. ~ Erik Hage, All Music Guide
'Rocket Ship Beach'
Release Date 7/30/2002
Tracks 17
Label Festival Five
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Rocket Ship Beach introduced Dan Zanes' special brand of children's music, which mixes well-known songs for kids, standards, and traditional country and folk songs with a hand-crafted sound and plenty of affection for both the music and its intended audience. The "friends" who help Zanes with Rocket Ship Beach include Sheryl Crow, whose duet with Zanes on "Polly Wolly Doodle" gets the album off to a strong start; Suzanne Vega, who lends a lilting guilelessness to "Erie Canal"; and the Wonderland String Band, who guest on several tracks and give an extra twang to "King Kong Kitchie," "Keep on the Sunnyside," and "Brown Girl in the Ring." From the British folk-tinged "All My Friends Live in the Woods" -- which features Simon Kirke -- to the vaudevillian "Sidewalks of New York" to the reggae-inspired "On the Sunnyside of the Street," Rocket Ship Beach is as diverse as it is charming; the storybook-like packaging and Donald Saaf's whimsical illustrations add to its heartfelt, homespun look and sound. Zanes' other albums -- Night Time! and Family Dance -- are equally delightful, and all of them emphasize how important it is to enjoy music together as a family. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It was a sad day for roots rock and Americana when the Del Fuegos called it quits in 1990, but all was not lost. Singer Dan Zanes went solo in the 1990s, and this 1995 release was his first album on his own. Cool Down Time isn't a radical departure from Zanes' work with the Del Fuegos; roots rock and Americana are still the Bostonian's focus, and he continues to lace some of his songs with blues and a touch of R&B -- not R&B as in urban contemporary, but R&B as in classic 1960s soul. Nonetheless, Cool Down Time is a rock album first and foremost, and none of its tracks stood a chance of being played on black R&B stations in 1995. For that matter, they probably wouldn't have been played on black stations in the 1960s -- the 1960s R&B stations that felt the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix were too rock-oriented for their purposes (even though both were R&B-influenced) would have said the same thing about Zanes. They would have said, "This is basically rock, and we don't play rock." But then, Zanes wasn't going after R&B stations with this release. His audience is a roots rock/Americana audience, although it's a roots rock/Americana audience that doesn't mind a dash of soul seasoning being added to the mix. Cool Down Time isn't quite in a class with the Del Fuegos' best albums, but it's a respectable, decent solo debut -- and it demonstrates that Zanes can get along nicely without his former band. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
