Monday, January 7, 2013

NC act among those on new Martin/Brickell collab

Comedic actor turned Grammy winning bluegrass band leader Steve Martin and folk-rock singer Edie Brickell will release "Love Has Come For You" on April 23. The 13-track collaboration features rootsy tunes that highlight Brickell's vocals and lyrics and Martin's subtle banjo picking.

"Love Has Come For You" also features Western North Carolina's Steep Canyon Rangers, who have served as Martin's band on tour and on the Grammy nominated album "Rare Bird Alert." "Love Has Come For You" also features appearances by jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding, veteran studio guitarist Waddy Wachtel, and Nickel Creek's Sean and Sara Watkins.

"The banjo can be so evocative when it's used sparingly, and that was in the back of my mind as we were writing," the actor states. "It's the way I've longed to play and hear the banjo, rather than it being present at every moment. In these songs, the point is to tell the story and get out."

Brickell, who took time away from music in the mid to late `90s to have three children with husband/folk legend Paul Simon, has reignited her music career over the last decade releasing albums with the Gaddabouts, the Heavy Circles, and regrouping the New Bohemians for 2006's "Stranger Things."

"Love Has Come For You" will be released by Rounder Records. The duo (pictured above) will be announcing tour dates later this year.

(Photo courtesy of Steve Martin's Facebook page)