Coming head-to-head with Spoon in a bid for 2007's ceaseless touring honor, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals have plotted yet another spattering of gigs in support of Easy Tiger, and to show off a few new tunes, which appear on EP Follow the Lights. The freshly minted jaunt, set to unroll Jan. 16 in Tulsa, OK, will then hit western U.S. cities like Tucson, San Diego, Seattle, and Los Angeles.

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals tour dates:

1/16, Tulsa, OK (Cain's Ballroom)
1/18, Tucson, AZ (Rialto Theater)
1/19, San Diego, CA (Spreckels Theatre)
1/21, Santa Barbara, CA (Arlington Theater)
1/22, Claremont, CA (Bridges Auditorium)
1/23, San Rafael, CA (Marin Center)
1/25, Salem, OR (Elsinore Theater)
1/26, Seattle, WA (Paramount Theater)
1/28, Berkeley, CA (Zellerbach Hall)
1/30, Los Angeles, CA (UCLA Royce Hall)

Aimee Mann Unveils 'Smilers' LP

Songstress Aimee Mann has detailed Smilers, the title of her seventh album to date and follow up to 2005's solo studio effort The Forgotten Arm, tentatively dropping in the spring of 2008 via her own Superego label, Billboard.com reports. Produced by Paul Bryan, who also plays bass on the new record, Smilers will deliver a new sound that's "a little bit different for me," said Mann. "It's got a lot of Moog (synthesizer) on it (and) sometimes almost sounds like the Cars a little bit," she revealed. "From song to song, everything gets a different treatment."

Adding to the departure, Mann said, "there's no electric guitar at all, which you weirdly don't miss. It's kind of this all-keyboard situation, which is great. It's an interesting amalgamation of sounds." Drummer Jay Bellerose and keyboardist Jamie Edwards joined Mann and Bryan on the record, which also features string and horns. "I formed a band that was perfect for this project and stuck with it," Mann said.

'Working Man' Ray Davies Preps Sophomore Solo Set

Legendary Kinks principal Ray Davies has announced the stateside release of his sophomore solo album, entitled Working Man's Café, due Feb. 19 via New West/Ammal Records. Co-produced by Grammy Award-winning producer/engineer Ray Kennedy (Fleetwood Mac, Steve Earle, Delbert McClinton), recorded in Nashville, TN at Kennedy's Room and Board Studios, and mixed at North London's Konk Studios, Working Man's Café arrives with 12 fresh tracks and follows up Davies' debut, 2006's Other People's Lives.

What's more, is fervent fans can also snatch up a deluxe CD/DVD album version featuring bonus artwork, exclusive live performances, and a video interview concerning the inspiration behind the new opus. And for vinyl enthusiasts, the set will also arrive as a limited edition 180-gram record. Though details have yet-to-be confirmed, Davies will hit North American in spring 2008 for an extensive tour.

Working Man's Café tracklisting:

1. "Vietnam Cowboys"
2. "You're Asking Me"
3. "Working Mans Café"
4. "Morphine Song"
5. "In a Moment"
6. "Peace in Our Time"
7. "No One Listen"
8. "Imaginary Man"
9. "One More Time"
10. "The Voodoo Walk"
11. "Hymn for a New Age"
12. "The Real World"