Billy Joel [ tickets ], who's getting ready to wrap a monthlong tour of North America, recently added a couple of Mexican dates to his schedule and announced his first shows for 2008.

The iconic singer/songwriter is scheduled to play Kansas City, MO, tomorrow (12/6) before heading to Mexico for a couple of shows into next week. His itinerary picks up again in late February, with gigs booked in Denver, Milwaukee and Sacramento, CA. Details are listed below.

Joel, who said he was finished writing pop songs following 1993's "River of Dreams," apparently had a change of heart this year. In February, he issued a new single titled "All My Life" as an anniversary present for his wife, and now, he's just released an anti-war song, "Christmas in Fallujah," but he won't be the one behind the mic.

Instead, emerging singer/songwriter Cass Dillon recorded the tune with members of Joel's band. It went on sale yesterday (12/4) at Apple's iTunes Store.

"I didn't feel I was the person to sing this song," Joel explained in a press release at his website. "I thought it should be somebody young, about a soldier's age. 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."

The six-time Grammy winner wrote "Christmas in Fallujah" as a response to letters he's received from soldiers who have found solace, inspiration and comfort in his songs, according to the press release. Net proceeds from the song will be donated to Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit organization that builds homes for disabled service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Joel's most recent album release is last year's "12 Gardens Live"--a double-CD set featuring performances from his record-breaking 12-night stand at New York City's Madison Square Garden in April 2006. The year prior, he put out the five-disc, career-spanning box-set "My Lives."

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has sold more than 100 million records over the past quarter century, according to his website. His "Greatest Hits Volume I and II" has moved more than 20 million copies, making it the best-selling hits album by a male artist.