Phil Vassar on the road again with new cd

The cover of Phil Vassar’s latest album has him playing ringmaster to the circus that is life on the road.

It’s a drawing of the Lynchburg native in a top hat and a red coat with tails — “instead of the old glamour shot on the cover, airbrushed to the hilt,” Vassar said in a phone interview from his home in Nashville earlier this week.

“Traveling Circus,” which hit stores last week, is Vassar’s fifth studio album, and he’ll be kicking off a European tour in support of it in January.

“We’re just always laughing about (going on tour),” he said of where the album got its name. “The traveling circus is on the road again.”

This album marked several milestones for Vassar, whose last release was a greatest hits compilation that included the hit single “Last Day of My Life.”

“Circus” is his first solo producing effort, the result of which “came out more like me,” he said.

And, instead of using studio musicians, he opted to have his live band sit in on the recording sessions to capture the organic sound you’d hear at one of his concerts.

“I think it really makes your sound more individual,” he said. “I love the way the album came out.”

It includes songs like “John Wayne,” which Vassar penned about one of his childhood icons; “I Will Remember You,” which he wrote with Kenny Chesney; and “Life,” which was inspired by another in-the-works project — he’s writing all of the music for a Broadway adaptation of the 2007 movie, “Waitress.”

Famed Broadway producer Barry Weissler, who has worked on big-budget musicals like “Chicago” and “South Pacific,” approached Vassar about doing the show, and he jumped at the chance.

Vassar had seen the movie, which stars Keri Russell as a waitress who bakes pies to deal with her unhappy, abusive marriage, and loved its small-town feel and “perfect” characters.

“It’s such a great story,” he said. “We’re staying as close as we can to it.”

He isn’t sure when the musical will hit the stage, but estimates he’ll write a total of 18 to 25 songs before it’s done.

“I’m 10 or 12 songs into this thing. I never realized how many songs are in a Broadway show.”

While he continues working on the show, Vassar will kick off that January European tour, his first, with stops in London, Munich and Dublin, among others.

He will also be back in the Hill City in March to continue his work with The Miller Home of Lynchburg. Last year, Vassar performed a benefit concert to raise money for the girls’ home and visited with its residents.

He’ll do the same in 2010, this time with fellow country music star Rodney Atkins (“These Are My People,” “Watching You”) along for the ride.

“Rodney’s my bud. He and I do things like this for each other,” Vassar said. “It’s our way of helping each other out and giving back at the same time.”

If you’re going

- WHAT: Phil Vassar and Rodney Atkins in concert for The Miller Home of Lynchburg
- WHEN: 7:30 p.m. March 11
- WHERE: The E.C. Glass High School Auditorium
- TICKETS: $35. They can be purchased by phone at (434) 845-0241 or in person at The Miller Home (2134 Westerly Drive) after the holidays during regular office hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- INFO: (434) 845-0241