Jarreau in a holiday mood on next album

By Gary Graff

DETROIT (Billboard) - Al Jarreau will have more than just love songs to offer to his fans this year.

The multifaceted singer, who recently released a "Love Songs" collection timed for Valentine's Day, told Billboard.com that he has two more projects planned for this year -- a holiday album and a best-of compilation.

Jarreau is in the midst of working on the holiday album and plans to have it finished by May or June. It will feature standards such as "White Christmas," "Joy to the World" and "The Christmas Song," as well as an original called "Tree Wishes" that he said is "interesting and right in the spirit of things." He's also excited about the arrangement of "The Christmas Song," in which he promises "people will hear a new sparkle."

Jarreau is working with a variety of collaborators and arrangers, including Take 6 and his own keyboardist, Joe Turano.

"The guys in my band have outdone themselves with special pieces of music that we will do," Jarreau said. "They're standards. The way we're gonna do them is going to be respectful to the tradition but ear candy for people to listen to in new ways. I'm just excited to tears about this record."

He's also looking forward to compiling the best-of collection, which will be a successor to 1996's "The Best of Al Jarreau." The singer is sorting through his repertoire and promises that the new set "will be different than the last one," adding that "there's a lot more to select from since then." Titles and release dates are forthcoming.

Jarreau will be doing a short tour to promote "Love Songs" beginning February 8 in Cleveland and including a Valentine's Day performance at New York's Beacon Theater.

Reuters/Billboard