Another album, the second from this unlikely, but successful duo of banjo playing Steve Martin and songbird, Edie Brickell with the help of Leland Sklar, Bela Fleck, Peter Asher, Victoria Asher, Steve Aho, Jeff Alan Ross, Rob Berman, Doug Livingston and others, plus Martin’s bluegrass recording, touring partners the Steep Canyon Rangers Mike Guggino (mandolin), Nicky Sanders (fiddle), Charles Humphrey 111 (upright bass) and Mike Ashworth (percussion) drop by as a unit for the uplifting family gathering like tune “Another Round”.
Artful pop and bluegrass warmed music is one way you could label the music heard, but that would be selling both artists short (and the work, backing vocals and orchestral arrangements on the likes of “Way Back In The Day” and likewise tender odes “I’m By Your Side” and “I Had A Vision”). Like with their first album it took me a few spins to obtain the feel but it did eventually happen, and when it did I had stopped picking out which tracks to play. As in early favourites “Won’t Go Back”, title-track “So Familiar”, “Another Round”(one of two songs where Martin forgoes his Deering ‘clawgrass’ banjo for a Nechville ‘Orion’ banjo) and a song Martin doesn’t figure on, sobering reflective piece “Way Back In The Day”.
As before Martin wrote the music and Brickell followed with her little stories inspired by the emotive feel obtained by the former’s work, and given additional wings by famed producer Peter Asher. Maybe a little less would have worked better on some tracks, but then you might then miss out of Brickell’s more arty textures, her sweet caressing of a lyric. She writes some fine sensitive ones too. One song in particular has all the hallmarks of becoming something really special and more poignant than it already is if given a keener, traditional edge haunting ballad “Heart Of A Dreamer”. One I fully expect fellow acts of Martin to gravitate too, and cover because it is a mighty fine piece of work!
Maurice Hope