Steve Martin knows how to entertain. He is so understated, though, that one might not be aware of just how successful he has been. While this might be impossible currently, he has had two top-10 comedy albums, one (A Wild and Crazy Guy in 1978) reaching No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
He's proven to be great at stand-up, excellent as an actor in such films as Planes, Trains and Automobiles and The Jerk, and elite as a musician. Martin playing the banjo is nothing new. He has almost always incorporated the instrument into his musical act.
While his music is not without humor, hardly any of his recent albums over the last couple of decades have been solely about that. He takes the music seriously, and we are all the better for it. This includes his most recent collaboration with the amazing Alison Brown, Safe, Sensible and Sane.
Steve Martin (and Alison Brown) reach the top of the bluegrass summit
The record debuts atop the Billboard Bluegrass charts for the week of November 1. This marks Martin's seventh-straight bluegrass album to get to No. 1, five of which have debuted atop the list. Five of his albums have also reached the top 10 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart, too.
Moreover, Steve Martin's 84 weeks total spent at No. 1 on the bluegrass albums list is the most ever for a male solo artist. Only, he isn't completely solo, and he gets a lot of help from talented friends, such as Steep Canyon Rangers and, quite often, Alison Brown.
It is with Brown that Martin's latest album reaches the top of the charts, the second No. 1 for Brown. Like Martin, Brown also specializes and being a brilliant player of the banjo. The two work perfectly together, meshing their instruments in a way that a rock band would mesh two guitars.
Their songs are poignant, moving, and yes, sometimes funny. Overall, they are worthy of being heard by a vast audience, and not pieces of novelty. If Martin stopped doing shows such as Only Murders in the Building, he could focus solely on music and still be an important entertainer.
Alison Brown also deserves wider appeal on her own merit. Together, Martin and Brown's latest is a record you need to own.