Lyle Lovett has recruited fellow troubadour John Hiatt to make the rounds with him for an upcoming tour to celebrate the release of his 11^th studio album. The 16-date acoustic tour will begin for the duo on March 7 at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, and will run though March 25 when the jaunt concludes in Pensacola, Fla. Other cities the tour will stop by include Milwaukee, Detroit, Nashville, Atlanta and Savannah.

Additionally, Lovett will appear with his “acoustic group” at The Concert Hall in New York City tomorrow to mark the release date for the aforementioned album, titled Release Me. The title likely nods to the fact that the album is the final record in Lovett’s contract with the Curb/Universal Music Group, which has released all of Lovett’s albums since his self-titled debut came out in 1986.

Speaking with Rolling Stone magazine last year, Lovett spoke of the future of his career.

“I don’t really know how it’s gonna go,” he told the magazine, “but I probably want to make my records myself and then figure out how to sell them after they’re made. [Curb’s] been great to me and they’ve given me my career, but I’m excited to see what’s next.”

Release Me will be Lovett’s first studio record since 2009’s Natural Forces, which peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Top Country albums chart and number 29 on the overall Billboard 200 albums chart. Throughout his career, Lovett has won four Grammy Awards.

John Hiatt released his most recent album, Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns, in August of last year. In addition to being a noted singer-songwriter, Hiatt also has made a name for himself as a songwriter for other artists. He has had his songs covered by a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Nick Lowe, Aaron Neville, Joe Cocker, Jimmy Buffett, Mandy Moore and Iggy Pop.

After Lyle Lovett tackles his upcoming fall tour with John Hiatt, he will be heading out for a series of headlining shows along with Large Band.

The multiple Grammy award winner and veteran performer will be kicking off his headlining stretch in Orange, TX on October 26, after his latest show with Hiatt. The shows with Hiatt kick off in Albuquerque, NM on October 6 and close in Tacoma, WA on October 18.

Lovett’s headlining trek will take him through late November, closing in Fort Worth, TX on November 24-25.

Lovett has been touring sporadically since January. In 2007 he released “It’s Not Big It’s Large,” his latest album. The set of 12 tracks features Large Band and a variety of gospel, jazz, folk, blues and country songs. It peaked on Billboard’s 200 at No. 18.

Lovett, referring to the title of the album on the promotional video clip said, we have always done musical arrangements bordering on blues, bordering on jazz, bordering on what some people think is big band. However, we really don’t play music that is big band. We always have had lots of people in this band. That’s why I called it Large Band instead of Big Band. However, people invariably refer to our band as Big Band. It really isn’t big. Well you get the picture.

Lovett’s “Its Not Big Its Large” is following “My Baby Don’t Tolerate,” his debut with Lost Highway Records that was released in 2003. It was the first set of original material for Lovett since “Road to Ensenada” in 1996.

2009 Lyle Lovett Concert Tour
October 2009
2 – San Francisco, CA – Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
6 – Albuquerque, NM – Kiva Auditorium (w/ John Hiatt)
7 – Colorado Springs, CO – Pikes Peak Center (w/ John Hiatt)
8 – Boulder, CO – Macky Auditorium Concert Hall (w/ John Hiatt)
9 – Greeley, CO – Union Colony Civic Center (w/ John Hiatt)
10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kingsbury Hall (w/ John Hiatt)
12 – Modesto, CA – Rogers Theater (w/ John Hiatt)
13 – Davis, CA – Mondavi Performing Arts Center Jackson Hall (w/ John Hiatt)
14 – Santa Rosa, CA – Wells Fargo Center for the Arts (w/ John Hiatt)
15 – Eugene, OR – Silva Concert Hall (w/ John Hiatt)
16 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (w/ John Hiatt)
18 – Tacoma, WA – Pantages Theater (w/ John Hiatt)
26 – Orange, TX – Lucher Theater
27 – Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre
28 – Tallahassee, FL – Leon County Civic Center
29 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre
30 – Danville, KY – Norton Center
31 – Roanoke, VA – Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre

November 2009
2 – Bethesda, MD – Strathmore Performance Hall
3 – Albany, NY – Hart Theatre
4 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
5 – Red Bank, NK – Count Basie Theatre
6 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre
7 – Bridgeport, CT – Klein Memorial Auditorium
9 – Wilmington, DE – Grand Opera House
10 – Portsmouth, NH – Portsmouth Music Hall
11 – Ithaca, NY – State Theatre
12 – Buffalo, NY – Center for the Arts
13 – Toronto, Ontario – Massey Hall
14 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Arts Centre
15 – Kingston, NY – Ulster Performing Arts Center
17 – Charlotte, NC – Belk Theatre
18 – Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle
20 – Meridian, MS – Riley Center for Performing Arts
21 – Thackerville, OK – Winstar World Casino
22 – San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre
23 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall
24, 25 – Fort Worth, TX – Bass Performance Hall