Homecoming, pianist Jim Brickman's 16th career release (his third with a holiday theme, joining The Gift and Peace), is an unerringly pleasant, gently uplifting package that delivers what most listeners probably want--a smart-sounding, family-friendly audio backdrop suited for any December gathering. Brickman's mix of nine instrumentals and four vocal tracks (seven are rearranged traditional works) carefully straddles a fine line between sophistication and sentimentality. Happily, other than a few heavily star-dusted moments (the final note of "I Saw Three Ships" sparkles as though it was touched by Tinkerbell's wand), the schmaltz factor is acceptably modest. More demanding Brickman listeners will probably wish he had dug deeper into the richer emotional terrain he visits on "Thanksgiving," the disc's opening track, and his ruminating interpretation of "Still Nacht." But holiday discs are audience-builders, so we instead get a double dose of former Lonestar vocalist Richie McDonald (with two nearly identical versions of "Coming Home for Christmas," an eyes-to-the-sky heart-clutcher), and the late Gerald Levert crooning a holiday version of "My Angel," a parent-to-child love song that originally appeared on Brickman's Escape disc. Not a flawless release, but definitely a cut above most easy-listening holiday fare. --Terry Wood
