Singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams will on June 5 release her sixth album, "Essence," the follow-up to her Grammy-winning 1998 set "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road." To be issued by Universal's Lost Highway label, the set is a collaborative effort with like-minded musicians Charlie Sexton and Bo Ramsey, the latter of whom toured with Williams in support of "Car Wheels."

Audio samples of each of the album's 11 tracks can be found on the artist's still-under-construction official Web site.

Willams, who recently performed as part of the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, will kick off a round of tour dates May 30 in Hampton, Va., with Kasey Chambers supporting. That run will last through June 18 in Chicago, and encompass a June 4 appearance on CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman." Further touring is expected to keep Williams on the road through the summer, with a trio of festival dates in Indianapolis, Seattle, and Salt Lake City already confirmed.

"Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" (Mercury) won Williams the best contemporary folk album trophy at the 1998 Grammy Awards. It was her second Grammy, having won the best country song award in 1993 as the songwriter of "Passionate Kisses," which was recorded by Mary Chapin Carpenter. "Car Wheels," which debuted at No. 65 on The Billboard 200, has sold 501,000 copies in the U.S. to date, according to SoundScan.

Here are Lucinda Williams' confirmed tour dates:
May 30: Hampton, Va. (Mill Point Park)
June 1: Vienna, Va. (Wolf Trap)
June 6: New York (Roseland Ballroom)
June 8: Red Bank, N.J. (Count Basie Theatre)
June 9: Northampton, Mass. (Calvin Theater)
June 10: Boston (FleetBoston Pavilion)
June 15: Pittsburgh (Three Rivers Arts Festival)
June 18: Chicago (Navy Pier)
July 14: Indianapolis (Indy Jazz Fest)
July 22: Seattle (Summer Nights at the Pier)
Aug. 5: Salt Lake City (Red Butte Garden)