Rounder

When Steve Martin released The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo in 2009, fans of the comedian/actor/author had good reason to suspect that the album was a mere detour. When it took home the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album, however, those suspicions evaporated mighty fast. As well they should have – Martin is a super-talented banjoist who takes his music seriously and this follow-up collection, cut with his touring band the Steep Canyon Rangers and produced by Tony Trischka, is as solid a contemporary bluegrass album as any. While the live, inevitable remake of Martin’s 1978 absurdist hit “King Tut” is still good for a laugh, it’s “Best Love,” a Martin original featuring a warm guest vocal from Paul McCartney, which takes best-of-show honors.