Singer/songwriter Maria McKee will release her fourth studio album, "High Dive," April 22 via her own Viewfinder Records, Billboard.com has learned. The set will be the former lead singer of alt-country rock act Lone Justice's first release in seven years. Produced, mixed, and mastered by bassist, arranger, and occasional co-composer Jim Akin, the album is the follow-up to McKee's third and final Geffen album, 1996's "Life Is Sweet."

"High Dive" is a typically diverse album, with shifting tempos and moods. "I need to amuse myself," McKee said in a statement. "I've got attention deficit disorder, in an artistic way, so I need to keep testing myself. This also means coming to terms with my past. You can hear that on this album; some of the songs... aren't that far from some of the Lone Justice stuff."

Of recording for herself, McKee said, "I have never felt more satisfaction in my life as a creative person, as a professional in the business. I certainly don't want to malign the major labels, but at some point that system can be stifling, and you don't really want to have a mentor put his arm around you and guide you along." The label will be distributed worldwide through Jimmy Buffett's Mailboat Records.

According to a handwritten note on her official Web site, McKee and her band are planning to mount a world tour in support of "High Dive."

"Life Is Sweet" debuted at No. 16 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Since its release, McKee has contributed to Vanguard's "Songcatcher" soundtrack and the label's all-star album "Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music."