Name: Rare Bird Alert [Deluxe Version]
SKU: 24385653
Availability: OutOfStock

Rare Bird Alert [Deluxe Version]

Rating

Album: Rare Bird Alert [Deluxe Version]
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Rare Bird Alert	More Info...	2:40
2)	Yellow-Backed Fly	More Info...	3:21
3)	Best Love	More Info...	4:22
4)	Northern Island	More Info...	2:40
5)	Go Away, Stop, Turn Around, Come Back	More Info...	3:36
6)	Jubilation Day	More Info...	3:12
7)	More Bad Weather On The Way	More Info...	3:32
8)	You	More Info...	3:46
9)	The Great Remember (for Nancy)	More Info...	3:11
10)	Women Like To Slow Dance	More Info...	2:13
11)	Hide Behind A Rock	More Info...	2:07
12)	Atheists Don't Have No Songs	More Info...	3:51
13)	King Tut	More Info...	3:06

Album: Rare Bird Alert [Deluxe Version]
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Rare Bird Alert	More Info...	2:40
2)	Yellow-Backed Fly	More Info...	3:21
3)	Best Love	More Info...	4:22
4)	Northern Island	More Info...	2:40
5)	Go Away, Stop, Turn Around, Come Back	More Info...	3:36
6)	Jubilation Day	More Info...	3:12
7)	More Bad Weather On The Way	More Info...	3:32
8)	You	More Info...	3:46
9)	The Great Remember (for Nancy)	More Info...	3:11
10)	Women Like To Slow Dance	More Info...	2:13
11)	Hide Behind A Rock	More Info...	2:07
12)	Atheists Don't Have No Songs	More Info...	3:51
13)	King Tut	More Info...	3:06

Performer Notes

After releasing The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo in 2009, Steve Martin went on the road with the Steep Canyon Rangers, an established bluegrass group that served as his backup band. Rare Bird Alert finds Martin working with the group again, this time in a more collaborative arrangement. Martin writes all of the songs and retains top billing -- this is Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers, not the other way around -- but his banjo skills are just one piece of the pie, with Ranger vocalist Woody Platt doing just as much (or, on some songs, more) legwork as the group's de facto frontman. Together, Platt and Martin steer their lineup through a mix of kinetic bluegrass, folk, and a cappella gospel, with Paul McCartney making a guest appearance on "Best Love" and the Dixie Chicks coming out of semi studio-retirement to harmonize their way through "You." Martin writes well for other singers, only making the occasion vocal appearance himself -- that's him screeching the high notes in "Atheists Don't Have No Songs," one of several songs whose lyrics draw from his comedy career -- and he continues to play the banjo with dexterity, even though it's hard to distinguish between him and the Rangers' own banjoist, Graham Sharp. But that simply enhances the full-band feel of the album, and Rare Bird Alert winds up being even more enjoyable than The Crow, with the shock of Steve Martin's musical abilities giving way to the simple charm of his collaboration with a homespun, confident group of bluegrass pickers. ~ Andrew Leahey