For the first time since the days he fronted Soul Coughing, Mike Doughty is back with a full band on Haughty Melodic. With collaborators including Dave Matthews and N.E.R.D. drummer Eric Fawcett, the new release reveals that Doughty is a master at crafting melodies into rich, memorable songs. Haughty Melodic again shows what an “audacious wordsmith” (SF Weekly) he is. ATO Records releases the new album on May 3. A national tour begins May 4 in Washington D.C. making stops in New York City, Seattle and Los Angeles (see reverse for complete itinerary).

      The 12 original heartfelt tracks are a backdrop for big beats and complex sounds including the anthem “Looking at the World From the Bottom of a Well,” the soaring “Unsingable Name,” and the yearning “White Lexus.” “Tremendous Brunettes” features a duet with Dave Matthews and backing vocals by Dan Wilson, who sings on many tracks. Among the album’s other contributors are cellist Jane Scarpantoni, multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, and bassist/trombonist John Munson. Haughty Melodic is produced by Dan Wilson and was recorded in Minneapolis, MN.

      Of the new album, Doughty says, “I wrote a bunch of songs about yearning and redemption and happiness and hope, and Dan and I conceived this sound, a very colorful, ornamented sound that combined the melancholy and psychedelic.”

      Over the past five years, Doughty has gained acclaim for his solo work, including last year’s re-release, Skittish/Rockity Roll, his debut on ATO Records. Time Out New York praises his “depth of character and vulnerability” and Nashville Scene says he “mesmerizes with lyrics that take punches and music that’s an alternative to the alternative.” Skittish prompted Las Vegas CityLife to name him “the best young songwriter working in America today.”