Steve Martin & Edie Brickell: So Familiar

Lee Zimmerman on November 12, 2015

Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s utterly engaging debut, 2013’s Love Has Come for You, rightly reaped all kinds of kudos, so it’s little surprise that their sophomore set, So Familiar, is every bit as charming and melodious as their first. A distinguished support crew (Martin’s steady collaborators the Steep Canyon Rangers, fellow banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck, revered bassist Leland Sklar and producer Peter Asher) all lend support, but it’s the most winsome tunes—”So Familiar,” “Always Will,” “I’m By Your Side” and “My Baby”—that find Martin and Brickell effectively setting a mellow mood with only the most sparse instrumentation. Nevertheless, the assertive strains of “Won’t Go Back” and the plucky “Mine All Mine” also stand out, and Brickell even coaxes Martin into lending some background harmonies on “I Have You.” As unassuming as it is, So Familiar still manages to ring true to its title, ably reflecting an oh-so-cozy collaboration.

Artist: Steve Martin & Edie Brickell
Album: So Familiar
Label: Rounder