LaFarge lines up "Rumba Country"

The 10–song set was co-produced by Chris Seefried, Elliot Bergman and LaFarge and was recorded in Los Angeles and Chicago.

LaFarge also announced his initial North American and United Kingdom tour dates. Launching May 3 in Woodstock, N.Y. at Levon Helm's Studio, the trek features stops at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center, The Bluebird in Denver and Los Angeles' The Troubadour.

There was a time when I glorified sadness because I lost sight of who I was, but now I understand that creating and expressing joy is my gift, and gifts are meant to be shared," said LaFarge.

After criss-crossing the nation for the last half-decade looking for a home, LaFarge found himself in Mid-Coast Maine. Upon arriving, the Illinois-born singer/songwriter/actor pursued a major life change, working 12-hour days on a local farm—a turn of events that catalyzed an extraordinary burst of creativity and redefined his sense of purpose as an artist.

That included incorporating mambo, tropicalia and mid-century American rock-and-roll into the musical mix.

"Listening to a lot of music from around the world helped simplify my approach," he said, naming Brazilian singer/composer Jorge Ben among his key inspirations. "The more you listen to music from around the world, you realize everybody's got their form of country music."

"It goes back to why I named the album 'Rhumba Country' in the first place: it's poking fun at the futility of boxing everything into a few genres, 'What is folk music? What is country or soul?' I've always bucked at all those boundaries and found it much more exciting to create my own genre."

The first single, "Sister Andre," debuted tday via Brooklyn Vegan. "Sister André is a love song for those who are lonely and looking and waiting to love and be loved. An encouragement to never give up the patient pursuit. It could come at any time. Encouragement, in this case, comes from Sister André, who inspired this song the day of her passing after 118 years of age."

"The songs that naturally come to me are upbeat and make you wanna dance or at least bop your head—they're all very colorful," said LaFarge. "I used to think of my music in dark blue, but now I see it in technicolor."

The track listing is:
1. One You, One Me
2. For A Night
3. Run Run Run
4. Like A Sailor
5. Sister Andre
6. So Long Chicago
7. It's Not Over
8. Home Home Home
9. Made To Be Loved
10. You Make My Garden Grow

Tour dates are
March 20-21 - Boise, ID - Treefort Festival
May 3 - Woodstock, NY - Levon Helm Studio
May 4 - Washington, DC - Kennedy Center
May 5 - Pawling, NY - Daryl's House
May 10 - Indianapolis, IN - Hi Fi Annex
May 11 - Bloomington, IL - Castle Theatre
May 12 - Nashville, TN - 3rd and Lindsey
May 14 - Davenport, IA - Redstone Room
May 15 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theater
May 16 - Duluth, MN - The West Theatre
May 18 - Viroqua, WI - Historic Temple Theater
May 30 - Frankfort, KY - The Grand Theatre
May 31 - Pittsburgh, PA - Three Rivers Festival
June 1 - Cincinnati, OH - Memorial Hall
June 2 - Columbia, MO - Rose Park
June 4 - Omaha, NE - Waiting Room
June 6 - Ft Collins, CO - Washington's
June 7 - Denver, CO - Bluebird
June 8 - Salt Lake City, UT - Fort Desolation
June 10 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
June 11 - Vancouver, BC - The Pearl
June 12 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
June 14 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
June 15 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
June 21-June 23 - Mount Salon, VA - Red Wing Festival
Aug. 9-11 - Lyons, CO - Rocky Mountain Folk Festival
Aug. 16 - Devon, UK - Beautiful Days
Aug. 17 - Brighton, UK - Chalk
Aug. 18 - Birmingham, UK - Castle & Falcon
Aug. 20 - Liverpool, UK - Philharmonic
Aug. 21 - Dublin, IE - Whelans
Aug. 22 - Belfast, UK - Ulster Sports Club
Aug. 23 - Edinburgh, UK - La Belle Angel
Aug. 24 - Buckinghamshire, UK - Towersey Festival
Aug. 25 - Leicestershire, UK - The Long Road