Wainwright's 'Ship' docks at greatness

Instead of sappy love ballads á la Celine Dion, Wainwright sails off to a paradise of quirky folk tunes. The lyrics of toe-tapping album starter "Breakfast in Bed" should give a clue that Wainwright knows his musical pancakes from his eggs: "Just a couple of consumers, every morning, me and you, /We keep consummating. / What else is there to do? / We hardly go out anymore, / Mostly we stay in. / All I do these days is you and baby, that's no sin." The writer of 1972's hit song "Dead Sk unk," his lyrics are at sometimes biting and funny and at other times, poignant and sad.

The melding of banjo, ukulele, sax, clarinet, full string section, drums, harmonica, mandolin and keyboards on different tracks enables the listener to join in on an inventive musical journey whenever "Little Ship" is played. Shawn Colvin's background vocals lighten up "Mr. Ambivalent" and "Our Own War;" on other tracks, such as a bittersweet "What Are Families For" and raucous "Bein' A Dad," Wainwright's own warbling tenor does just fine.

If you're tired of faux folkies like Paula Cole, make sure to book passage on Wainwright's ship. He docks Friday at the Michigan Theater with Colvin. If you miss him, it will be your own titanic loss.

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