LISA Stansfield is swapping the studio for a tour bus, even spending her birthday on the road as the Rochdale soul singer promotes her eighth studio album.

Stansfield, who turns 52 today, is promoting Deeper on a spring European tour that pulls in at York Barbican on April 19, returning to a venue she played previously in September 2014 when promoting that year's album, Seven. In June the previous year, she had performed at the Grand Opera House.

While in the studio last autumn, she posted a video saying the album "sounds great": "I just hope you think the same, I hope you like it as much as we do. It’s coming out in the spring and we’ve decided to call it Deeper. So keep an eye out…I’m just excited…I think it is going to be a great ride."

York Press:

The album artwork for Lisa Stansfield's Deeper

Released on April 6 on earMusic, Deeper was written by Lisa with regular song-writing partner Ian Devaney and produced by Ian and Mark “Snowboy” Cotgrove, with Lisa also taking the role of executive producer. "Creating this album was a wonderful adventure," she says. "I really believe there’s a special something in this record. I’m so excited to let it go out into the big wide world with pride."

Stansfield has enjoyed such hits as All Around The World, All Woman and The Real Thing, winning BRIT, Ivor Novello and Silver Clef awards too, and she returned to the Top 20 with Seven, taking her record sales worldwide to the 20 million mark.

She will be joined in York – one of 12 British dates on the tour – by support act Irit, an Israeli-born singer-songwriter who now lives in London and made her British debut opening for Caro Emerald last year, since when she has had a run of headline shows in February.

York Press:

Israeli-born singer-songwriter Irit

"I'm very excited to tour with Lisa Stansfield in the UK," she says. "Lisa has been such an influence on British music and is an artist I respect very much. I can't wait for this amazing adventure and to perform tracks from my new album, Hello, around the country."

Doors open at 7pm; tickets are still available on 0844 854 2757, at yorknarbican.co.uk or gigst.rs/LS or in person from the Barbican box office.

FOLK queen Maddy Prior sings the music of England, the British Isles and Eastern Europe at the National Centre for Early Music, York, on Tuesday night.

The Carnival Band's fiddler and bagpiper, Giles Lewin, and Lady Maisery's young accordion player, Hannah James, join Maddy for a 7.30pm set that will include songs from her 2012 album, 3 For Joy. Box office: 01904 65 8338 or ncem.co.uk.