Happy New Year! I’ll begin with my obligatory apology about the lack of updates. Hopefully, you’re all visiting the Bacharach forum to get the latest news supplied by fans all over the world. I want to begin by mentioning two recent collections of Bacharach songs that fans might want to check out.

In October, the British musical theater star Michael Ball released Back To Bacharach, a collection of 12 Bacharach compositions including “The Look of Love,” “Alfie,” “One Less Bell To Answer,” “This House Is Empty Now,” and “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” For more info about Michael and the new CD, check out the official Michael Ball Website.

Also, in December, the Dutch vocalist Trijntje Oosterhuis released her second collection of Bacharach songs, Who’ll Speak For Love. The CD features Bacharach himself on piano on three tracks. It’s an outstanding record.

(If the sticker price on Amazon’s import version is too steep, you can purchase the entire album as an MP3 download for just $9.49)

If that weren’t enough good news, the Aspen Times reports that Burt is collaborating on a new batch of songs with Elvis Costello, most likely to be recorded by Costello’s wife, the jazz singer Diana Krall. Great news indeed.

And, finally, Burt has added two additional dates to his 2008 performance schedule, Oct. 2 in Rama, Ontario, and Oct. 3. in Montreal. For complete details, visit the Bacharach On Tour page.