Children’s music machine Dan Zanes has been nearly unstoppable since converting to the genre in the early 2000s. The former Del Fuego has made it a habit of crafting amiable, intelligent songs for kids of all ages that cover the whole spectrum of popular music worldwide. 2009’s 76 Trombones set its’ sights on Broadway, collecting 17 stage classics culled from Sir Paul McCartney's MPL catalog. Taking a cue from earlier releases, Zanes and his talented crew of New York-based friends and family treat the whole affair (and the source material) with the kind of ramshackle, back-porch glee that can only come from cool musicians with cool kids (look for appearances from musical theater luminaries like Carol Channing, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Matthew Broderick de’Adre Aziza, and Derick K. Grant. While Zanes and crew manage to keep all of the melodies and theatrical frivolity intact, the collection is completely bereft of any ornamental pretense, rendering Broadway standards like “Hello Dolly” and “Gary, Indiana/The Wells Fargo Wagon” into new folk standards, resulting in a road trip compilation that both kids and their parents can agree on. ~ James Christopher Monger