Currently enjoying a short break, Aimee Mann [ tickets ] will soon launch into the second leg of her North American tour, and she's added more than a dozen new dates to the itinerary.The singer/songwriter, who's been on the road since early this month, will resume the outing July 9 in Boulder, CO. She's scheduled to visit US and Canadian cities from coast to coast through mid-September. Stops added to the trek since last check include Boston, New York City, Atlanta, Washington, DC, and a two-night stand in Philadelphia. Details are listed below.Mann is supporting her seventh studio effort, "@#%&! Smilers," which surfaced earlier this month and came in at No. 32 on The Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the magazine's Top Independent Albums chart. The record follows 2005's concept album, "The Forgotten Arm," and Mann's 2006 holiday collection, "One More Drifter in the Snow." The sound tends toward fuller, richer arrangements than the performer's previous offerings."For this one, we wanted to use a different palate, thus replacing electric guitars with distorted Wurlitzers, Clavinets, and analog synthesizers," Mann explained in her bio. "We wanted the rhythm section to sound full and organic with detailed, interwoven keyboards on top. We also knew we wanted to have real string sections and horn arrangements for select songs."All of the album's 13 tracks were penned by Mann, with the exception of "True Believer," which she co-wrote with fellow singer/songwriter Grant Lee Phillips. The lead single, "Freeway," is streaming at Mann's MySpace page, which also includes a link to the video. A humorous Bobcat Goldthwait-directed video for another track, "31 Today," is streaming at the YouTube website.
