Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers: Rare Bird Alert
Aug 24th, 2011 by gcunniff
“Some of the songs are comedic: the hilarious faux-gospel harmony number “Atheists Don’t Have No Songs” is an album highlight despite its lack of an interesting melody, and “Women Like to Slow Dance” is both a wry reflection on gender differences and a straight-up bluegrass barnburner. “Jubilation Day” is one of the funnier kiss-off songs ever recorded (“Let’s always remember the good times/Like when you were out of town”), and there’s even a surprisingly straight version of Martin’s breakout novelty hit from the 1970s, “King Tut.” But other tracks are sweet and tender, such as the wonderful “You” (written for Martin’s wife) and the elegantly lovely “The Great Remember.” –All Music Guide