Contemporary country artist Phil Vassar [ tickets ] is previewing material from his forthcoming album as he keeps a busy tour schedule well into next year.

The singer/songwriter/pianist will continue his ongoing trek next month, starting with a Dec. 5 festival show in Houston, TX. His current itinerary shows a steady stream of dates across the US through late February, plus a late-March gig in Atlantic City. Multiple nights are booked in Henderson, NV; Astoria, OR; Bow, WA; Uncasville, CT; and Milwaukee. Details are listed below.

Vassar has already released a couple of songs from his forthcoming set, "Prayer of a Common Man," which is due in early 2008. The latest single, "Love is a Beautiful Thing," has been making its way up Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart over the last few weeks. Fans are being asked to send wedding photos and video footage for possible inclusion in the music video. Details about the contest can be found at Vassar's website.

"Prayer of a Common Man" is Vassar's fourth studio album and first for Universal Records South. It marks a change of pace for the performer, whose writing has grown more introspective and personal since recording hits like "Just Another Day in Paradise" and "Six-Pack Summer."

"A different guy wrote those," Vassar stated in his bio. "I can look back on songs I've written, kind of smile and remember what I was going through, but it's a different life for me now. Experience changes you and affects what comes out in your writing."

Some of the material on the new album is inspired by the current state of the world and the Virginia Tech tragedy, which hit close to home for the Lynchburg, VA, native.

"I was just so affected by everything going on in the world that I had to say something," Vassar said. "I had to say something real."

Before launching his own career, Vassar made a name for himself as a songwriter, scoring hits for Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina and BlackHawk, according to his bio. Last year, he offered up "Greatest Hits Vol. 1," which is split between his own hits and new recordings of hit songs he's written for other artists.

Throughout his career, Vassar has landed nine No. 1 singles and has been named ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year or Writer/Artist of the Year multiple times.