Phil Vassar photo by Jim Wright, courtesy of Universal Records South.

Phil Vassar’s next album is titled Traveling Circus, and it has him handling several roles. Not only does he provide the vocal acrobatics as the artist, he also wrote at least part of the material and he directed the whole project, serving as his own producer for the first time.

“I didn’t need anyone to help me do this one,” Phil told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I didn’t have to worry about people looking over my shoulder and telling me what to do. It was very freeing and liberating.”

The album’s first single, “Everywhere I Go,” has him sounding a hair tougher as a vocalist, a bit of a trick considering it’s a ballad. The song, co-written with Jeffrey Steele, is about a breakup, though it’s easily interpreted as a deeper form of loss. Jeffrey produced Keith Anderson’s “I Still Miss You,” which took on the same sort of dual meaning in 2008.

“You lose somebody, and you see them in everything,” Phil noted. “It’s a pretty strong theme.”

Phil is currently eyeing a February release for Traveling Circus.

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