Singer/songwriter Melissa Manchester has wrapped work on her first album since 1995's "If My Heart Had Wings." Due March 9 from Koch, "When I Look Down That Road" is led by the single "After All This Time" featuring blues guitarist Keb' Mo'. A North American tour is in the works in support of the set.

After a string of hits in the 1970s and '80s, Manchester stopped recording regularly in favor of appearing on Broadway, writing for film soundtracks and working in film and television. Her last new album of any kind was the 1998 holiday set "Joy."

"I left because I could no longer make records that sounded less and less like me," Manchester says. "I tried to please people instead of believing in my own strength, until the only thing I could do was walk away."

The new project was jumpstarted by a trip to Nashville, of which Manchester says, "It was there I found my voice again. Everybody wants to write a hit song, but in Nashville people want to write the best song."

"When I Look Down That Road" also features the Beth Nielsen Chapman co-write "Lucky Break," "When Paris Was a Woman" and "A Mother's Prayer," inspired by the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.