Jim Brickman

With his pop style piano playing and universally appealing work, internationally renowned instrumentalist and songwriter Jim Brickman is no doubt a highly credible source of valuable information as to how musical artistry work in the world of love songs. His big hits “Valentine,” “The Gift,” “Destiny,” and “Love of My Life” are audible proof of how well he has devoted himself to the craft.

“You do not force creativity, it should come naturally,” says the balladeer who is embarking on a 75-city tour to promote his music and especially his new album “Beautiful World.”

The light blue colored album released by Universal Records boasts a sterling mix of songs both with and without vocals. Guest singers include Jon Secada, Adam Crossley, Melinda Doolittle, and Orla Fallon. The Philippine edition stretches the numbers’ count to 21 with “Never Far Away” featuring Filipino star Christian Bautista on vocals.

Brickman noted that the content of his new album is generally brought by his “travels all over the world.” That helped in creating the easy-recall piano lines which still star the album with lovely tracks such as “Rainbow Sky,” “Rivers Edge,” and “In The Mountain Air.” Interestingly, the repertoire has one he wrote with his fascination for Philippines as inspiration. The piece is called “Noche Pacifica,” certainly one of the most melodic among the instrumentals in the list.

“You have to keep your songwriting simple. It’s hard to be too clever because you will end up not being clever,” he told the Manila Bulletin in an exclusive chat about songwriting done right after his presscon last Tuesday at The Atrium of the still-new and visually inviting Eastwood Mall in Libis. He did a one-night only engagement at the mall’s Open Park the following day.

Considering himself more of a songwriter than a pianist, Brickman has already worked with a number of Filipino artists which he vocally praises as a whole. He expressed his desire to record with Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez as well.

International artists he already worked with in the past include Michael Bolton, Carly Simon, Martina McBride, and Michael Smith. He revealed he is not much a big fan of  “American Idol” but found Doolittle, a finalist of its sixth edition, impressive, thus leading to their collaboration. The black singing sensation joins in the performance of a live “What The World Needs Now.”

He added more coins into the tip box for songwriters, “Your work should be honest and authentic. Part of who you are must get into the compositions.”

When queried what really the type of music he always listens to, the highly established balladeer ironically replied, “I like happy pop music. I don’t listen to sad music.”

That’s probably where the originality of his musicality comes from, having been accustomed to upbeat pop but letting his romantic heart do the talking during songwriting. Thus he also stated, “My music comes from very much within and it’s intended to be shared and understand.”

Brickman is proud of his Cleveland roots as he loves going around the world and savoring nature’s beauty. The title track of his new album reflects his rich experience as a journeyman and the way he beautifully sees it.