Daddysongs (1992)

The 12 songs about ''fathering'' in this new collection by singer-songwriter Roth are so steeped in nuclear-family values that you can almost picture Dan Quayle humming along. In a typical tune, ''The Cabin,'' Roth sings of childhood fishing trips with his father, trips he now takes with his own kids. Roth's gushy romanticization of family life peaks in his rewrite of ''This Old Man,'' whom he turns into a loving father figure (''This old man/ When we reached six/All my broken toys and dreams he'd fix'').

Such sweet sentiments need a slow tempo, and Roth obliges, to Daddysongs' detriment. The pace does work in ''Rainbows,'' set to Beethoven's ''Ode to Joy,'' though it kills a cover version of the Temptations' joyous ''My Girl,'' where ''the month of M-a-a-a-y'' seems to last all year. B-