SHEFFIELD singer, songwriter and soul-man Paul Carrack plays York Barbican tomorrow night in the wake of the January 15 release of his new album, Soul Shadows.

The ever hard-working Carrack has been equally busy with his latest sojourn as featured vocalist and keyboard player in Eric Clapton's band for his British and international tour, the result of their long-time friendship and mutual respect.

Now the focus falls on Carrack's follow-up to 2013's Rain Or Shine, a record that maintained his recurring status as a staple of the BBC Radio 2 playlist.

Whereas that album was a mixture of covers and originals, the new set is comprised almost entirely of Carrack compositions, plus one lovingly-chosen remake, Share Your Love With Me, the Bobby 'Blue' Bland gem that brought Aretha Franklin an R&B hit.

Most of the album's instrumentation is by Paul himself, working in his refurbished home studio, with his son Jack once again joining him on drums. "It's not a garage anymore," Carrack says. "We got it up and running and a lot of the songs have come from little jams, just me and Jack."

Six tracks have the addition of a hand-picked string and horn section recorded in AIR Studios in London. Among other highlights is Bet Your Life, with lyrics by Carrack's long-time friend, Chris Difford of Squeeze, and a guest appearance by Pee-Wee Ellis, the legendary saxophonist from James Brown's band, who co-wrote and played on Brown's Cold Sweat and Say It Loud – I'm Black And I'm Proud.

Carrack is the voice of Ace's How Long, Squeeze's Tempted and the Mike & The Mechanics anthems The Living Years and Over My Shoulder. He has recorded and toured with countless other musicians too, such as Roxy Music, Ringo Starr, B.B. King, Elton John and The Pretenders, and his songs have been recorded by the Eagles, Diana Ross and Tom Jones to name only a few.

As a solo artist, Carrack has a catalogue stretching back to 1980, and as a measure of his standing among peers and fans alike, the first announcement of Soul Shadows' release had it racing to the top of Amazon's pre-order chart.

Tickets for tomorrow's 7.30pm show are still available on 0844 854 2757 or at yorkbarbican.co.uk