Jim Brickman, the romantic poet of the piano, is tweaking his song bag with a more inspirational tone. No, he's not abandoning his signature chansons d'amour, but he's adding a measure of comfort, hope and promise in his revised recipe.

"I've started using music in a different way," Brickman said last week, speaking by phone from Nashville. He performs Saturday and Sunday at Blaisdell Concert Hall.

"It used to be that you had a hit song on the radio and (the fans) bought that album by the artist. For me now, the overall mission is to use an entire album for an experience, not just a song," said the fella with the magic keyboard fingers. "It's all about emotion."

Indeed, Brickman's melodies in the coming year will involve a deliberate uplifting touch. "It will embrace expectation and change, following where the world and country are going," Brickman said. "I'm hoping that this will be positive for the future."

If it sounds like he's echoing a political candidate, he's not.

"I'm private about my politics and religion," he said. "But as music reflects a positive change, I think this will affect how people use music."

By spring, he'll have a "new" CD titled "Valentine," which will commemorate the 10th anniversary of his iconic hit sung by Martina McBride. With his vast credits and a stable of hits in the love genre, February is one of Brickman's biggest seasons for romance.

While a video of his classic "Valentine" hit can be seen on his Web site, www.jimbrickman.com, the new disc will be something of a best-of compilation of what he dubs "rarities" favorites. For example, the title song will be a piano instrumental, without the McBride vocal. A version of "Never Alone" that went directly to radio will be included, and the original demo recording of "Love of My Life" will be among the 12 tracks.

The hope-with-emotion album won't be completed till the fall, he said, and could include compositions he's completing while on the road.

And Hawai'i, Brickman said, is very conducive to songwriting.

"Any place with beauty and a lot of love is great for inspiration," he said. "In Hawai'i, there's always an emotional connection to love and pride. You never know, a song (from the Islands) would fit into the multicultural tone I envision."

His concerts in the Islands follow 40 dates of Christmas shows, another huge season for his tours. "We're back because we did so well last year, with Shawna (Masuda) adding a local flavor to our show," Brickman said.

This year, "American Idol" competitor Jordan Segundo will be the local guest star. "Jordan's will be more of a guest appearance, where Shawna was 'integrated' last year," Brickman said.

"I'm happy to (hire) guest stars. There's so much local talent," he said.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.