Known for his Celtic-flavored piano albums and neo-classical compositions, Bill Douglas had just started to work on an album of American folk standards when the events of 9/11 unfolded. HOMELAND is his musical response to the tragedy and a heartfelt call for peace. Assisted once again by the heavenly voices of the Ars Nova Singers, Douglas weaves the reverent poetry of Blake, Shelley, Wordsworth, and Tennyson into original piano-based compositions, with somber orchestral accompaniment. He admirably sidesteps mawkishness the whole way. He also covers a number of traditional folk numbers, a nod to the original idea of the project, opening with a transcendent choral arrangement of "Shenandoah," and ending with "The Water is Wide." On the introduction to the latter, Douglas's solo bassoon hovers and dips like a swallow. HOMELAND is a deeply moving requiem for the souls lost on 9/11, and a tribute to the enduring American spirit.