Pianist Jim Brickman says his new holiday album, "Homecoming," is just that — a holiday album.
"I wanted it to represent the holiday season," Brickman said during a stop in Salt Lake City before heading to Sandy for a promotional show at the South Towne Center. "That's why the album starts with a piece called 'Thanksgiving' and ends with 'Auld Lang Syne.' The holidays start with Thanksgiving and end with New Year's, and we have all that stuff in between."
One trademark Brickman duet, "Coming Home for Christmas," is sung by former Lonestar singer Richie McDonald. "Richie and I wrote the song together, and he sang it," said Brickman. "It was an organic process that led to this great song."
Other "Homecoming" collaborations are violinist David Klinkenberg on "Joy," jazz guitarist Peter White and vocalist Anne Cochran on "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," and singer Gerald Levert on "My Angel (Christmas)." "I used to think of singers I wanted to work with and call them up to get permission. I would think of a song and then think of who would sound good playing or singing on it, and then call that person. If they said no, then I'd call the next closest-sounding artist.
"These days, I have people calling me. And that is a nice twist on things that creates a whole new dynamic, because we then start making music that fits the other person and my style. That's how 'Home for Christmas' was done."
"Home for Christmas" and "My Angel" aren't the only original songs on the album. "Thanksgiving," "Gathering" and "Bethlehem" are other Brickman-penned works, and they fit seamlessly in the album sequence. "This is my third Christmas album, and luckily I have made sure there are original songs on each album. Otherwise, by now I think it would have been more difficult to find strong holiday tunes for this album."
When thinking about making another Christmas album, Brickman said he always leans on the hymns of the season. "They have more wiggle room for music. They are basically eight-bar songs and that's it. So I can do arrangements and people will still know what they are. If I did that to 'I'll Be Home for Christmas,' it would be hard to recognize."
The traditional songs on "Homecoming" include "Joy," "Good King Wenceslas," "Deck the Halls," "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," "Still Nacht" and "I Saw Three Ships" and the aforementioned.
"I do, however, try to find some up-tempo songs to balance the quiet ones," Brickman said. "That's why 'Deck the Halls' and 'I Saw Three Ships' were chosen this year."
E-mail: scott@desnews.com