Backstage Pass

Billy Joel’s “Christmas in Fallujah,” only the second song he has completed since switching his focus from pop music to other types of composition in 1993 after the "River of Dreams" album, hit iTunes this morning and, well, it’s OK.

There are plenty of reasons that make the song hard to criticize. It’s sung by Cass Dillon, a Long Island newcomer, not Joel. Proceeds from the single go to Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit that builds specially adapted homes for service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with severe disabilities. And its message about supporting our troops, especially during the holidays, is an important one.

Joel said he wrote “Christmas in Fallujah” earlier in this year after receiving letters from men and women serving in Iraq saying how they had found inspiration and comfort in his songs. However, he didn’t think he was the right person to sing the song. “I thought it should be somebody young, about a soldier’s age,” Joel said in a statement. “I wanted to help somebody else’s career. I've had plenty of hits. I’ve had plenty of airplay. I’ve had my time in the sun. I think it’s time for somebody else, maybe, to benefit from my own experience.”

That said, it’s no “Goodnight Saigon” and, as unfair as it may be, any pop song Joel releases these days will be compared with his previous work – even if he isn’t the one singing it. Lyrically, “Christmas in Fallujah” captures despondency and frustration well, though that doesn’t exactly make it inspirational. Musically, it owes more to latter-day Nirvana than a classic Joel rocker.

For Dillon, the association with Joel should land more attention for his “A Good Thing Never Dies” EP, though his songs “Sliding” and “Lack of Game” probably offer better examples of what the promising 21-year-old singer-songwriter can do.