Steve Martin and Edie Brickell - Love Has Come for You

Steve Martin has been tickling funny bones forever, as a comedian, actor and author. But the Hollywood star of movies like The Jerk, Roxanne and Father of the Bride is also a serious art collector and first-rate banjo player. Martin’s first CD, The Crow, won the Grammy Award for best bluegrass album while his followup, Rare Bird Alert, featured Paul McCartney and the Dixie Chicks.

Martin teamed up with Edie Brickell for lyrics and vocals on his latest album, whose cover features a painting (by comedian Martin Mull) of an anonymous couple. Edie, an accomplished singer-songwriter (and wife of Paul Simon), lends humor and warmth to songs like “Siamese Cat,” “Sun’s Gonna Shine” and the gorgeous title track. But she credits her partner’s evocative picking for inspiration, saying “the mood that Steve sets is so powerful.” Together, Martin and Brickell concoct a sophisticated roots sound like a kind of urban mountain music. A most fruitful pairing.