Safe, Sensible And Sane PLUS On Banjo CD Bundle
Includes Alison Brown & Steve Martin's Safe, Sensible And Sane CD + Alison Brown's On Banjo CD.
Safe, Sensible And Sane:
The debut collaborative album from Alison Brown and Steve Martin, Safe, Sensible and Sane, is a collection inspired by a shared fascination with the unique beauty of the banjo. After achieving a No. 1 hit with the first tune they ever wrote together (“Foggy Morning Breaking,” from Brown’s 2023 LP On Banjo), the two GRAMMY-winning musicians started dreaming up a batch of banjo-centered songs built on Brown’s daringly innovative melodies and Martin’s quirky yet profoundly tender lyrics. Safe, Sensible and Sane is the result of their ongoing partnership. They are joined on the project by numerous musical luminaries, including Jackson Browne, Jason Mraz, Indigo Girls, Aoife O’Donovan, Vince Gill, Tim O’Brien, Della Mae, and others.
The album’s first three singles earned two more No. 1 radio chart hits, including the newest release “5 Days Out, 2 Days Back” featuring Tim O’Brien—a warm, timeless song nominated for Song of the Year, Collaborative Performance of the Year, and Music Video of the Year at the upcoming International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards. Another standout is the nostalgic “Dear Time,” which features Jackson Browne with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder Jeff Hanna on vocals. The album’s fourth single, “Dear Time,” originated from an idea Martin brought in as he approached his 80th birthday, striking a powerful balance of playful humor and heartfelt sincerity.
Folk icons Indigo Girls join in on “Girl, Have Money When You’re Old,” an anthem of female empowerment that captures the spirit of the moment with Amy Ray and Emily Saliers sharing lead vocals. Two of the album’s most unexpected tracks draw inspiration from south of the border: the infectious Caribbean-influenced “Statement of Your Affairs” featuring Jason Mraz, and “Michael” featuring Aoife O’Donovan with Sarah Jarosz, which offers a bittersweet daydream with breezy Brazilian rhythms.
Brown and Martin’s recent collaborations have exceeded 40 million views on social media and have been enjoyed by viewers of Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Kelly Clarkson Show. The pair is scheduled to co-host the IBMA Awards next month.
On Banjo:
Featuring: Anat Cohen, Stuart Duncan, Sierra Hull, Sharon Isbin, Kronos Quartet, and Steve Martin
As Amelia Earhart is to aviation, as Julia Child is to the culinary arts, Alison Brown is to the five-string banjo. She has broadened the instrument’s sound and identity with her distinctive voice as a player and composer, taking the banjo far beyond its Appalachian roots and earning praise from a variety of national taste-makers including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, and USA Today. She is a frequent collaborator with Steve Martin and Indigo Girls as well as the bandleader of the Alison Brown Quintet which is on a self-declared mission to bring the banjo to mainstream audiences.
On her new album On Banjo, Brown offers a musical autobiography of sorts. Tunes that give a nod to her bluegrass roots sit alongside forays into Brazilian choro music, string quartet and swing era jazz and bossa nova. Brown invited an eclectic cast of guests to join her on the set of predominantly original tunes including three of her favorite fellow female virtuosos: Israeli jazz clarinetist Anat Cohen, mandolin whiz Sierra Hull and classical guitarist Sharon Isbin. Other guests include fiddle icon Stuart Duncan, cross-cultural string masters Kronos Quartet and comedian/actor/banjo player Steve Martin who contributes clawhammer banjo to a tune which he and Brown co-wrote.
While Brown came to national attention as a teenager in the Southern California bluegrass scene, she has always been driven to explore other musical possibilities for the banjo and she has been blurring musical boundaries since the beginning of her career. From her GRAMMY-nominated debut forward, her music has boldly included elements of jazz, Latin and Celtic music in addition to bluegrass. On Banjo is a continuation of Brown’s innovative, technical, and compositional artistry. What genre is it? Who cares? It’s Alison Brown music.