Nope, not that Steve & Eydie- although I love them too- but Martin and Brickell. An inspired pairing- I mean really, based on those two alone, I’m buying their new album. Listening to Love Has Come For You is like sitting on the front porch with your momma sipping sweet tea (or rosé if you’re my mom and I) and chatting about any and everything. That’s really what it sounds like. But not in an old fashioned way, in a modern meets nostalgia kind of way- the best kind of way, I think. The word “email” is sung in the first verse of When You Get To Asheville and it works.

Edie Brickell’s folksy, twangy and earnest vocals are a perfect match for Steve Martin’s plucky picking. Martin is an accomplished 5 string bango player. He once said,

“The banjo is such a happy instrument–you can’t play a sad song on the banjo – it always comes out so cheerful.”

Inspired by that quote, I actually acquired a 5-string banjo with the intent on not only mastering it but also finding a sort of zen happiness along with those happy sounds. I agree, how could you be unhappy when you hear the banjo. Playing it must be close to nirvana. As a sidenote- I’ve always loved the banjo, I used to do a “banjo dance” backstage during The Boy From Oz on Broadway as I waited for my entrance, that accompanied our banjo player’s solo in Everything Old Is New Again. It was a little bit famous amongst our stage right crew and cast that happened to be backstage at that point in the show. But I digress, I tried like hell to learn that thing and ended up putting it down. It. Is. Hard. The banjo is not kidding around. I still have it, maybe I’ll pick it up again one day. In the meantime, I’ll listen to Steve Martin play it.With Brickell alongside Martin’s banjo, it’s not just a happy sound but heartfelt and soulful too.

It’s been way too long since we’ve heard from Edie Brickell. Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars by Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians was the first CD I ever owned. My older brother Matt gave me the album for Christmas in 1988 during the advent of the home cd players. I wore that thing out and adored every track. The illustrated cover art is forever burned into my brain. I’ve missed her and am always happy to hear Steve Martin in any form. This album not only lifts your spirits but is also swoonful. I recommend.

Take a sneak peak listen here and tell me what you think.

{Image: Fred R. Conrad for the New York Times}

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