Joan Armatrading will release her 21st album 'Not Too Far Away' later this year.

Joan Armatrading

Joan Armatrading

The 67-year-old singer songwriter has enjoyed a career spanning four decades, and she is set to bring out a new collection of original material on May 18.

In a press release confirming the exciting news, the record was described as being able to "take the deeply personal and make it universal", and as a "love album of intensity".

Featuring tracks like the haunting 'Cover My Eyes' and anthemic 'Any Place', the LP boasts the fact that once again Joan wrote, sung, arranged and produced it in its entirety, and played all instruments besides the drums, which she programmed.

To support 'Not Too Far Away', Joan will embark on a 31-date UK tour later this year, kicking things off with two nights at the Milton Keynes Stables in September, and finishing the run on October 17 at the St Davids Hall in Cardiff.

Full dates and details on the tour - including for her US trip - can be found at www.joanarmatrading.com.

In 2007, Joan made history when her album 'Into The Blues' debuted in the top spot of the US Billboard Blues Chart, making her the first UK female artist to earn that achievement.

The influential star - who has been nominated for three Grammys and two Brit awards - has been hailed by fans and critics alike in the past, and in 1996 she was recognised with an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contemporary Song Collection.