The way Michael Chapman sees it “the songs are the songs,” and those on his new album True North, fit a kind of mold that’s comfortable — and even a bit surprising — for the venerable British singer, songwriter and guitarist. “I got lucky this time,” the 78-year-old Chapman says. “Sometimes I write songs that can only be done with a band. Sometimes I write songs so loose they could only be done solo. I got lucky because most of the songs on this album I could do either way.”

And Chapman is so happy with the results — produced by Steve Gunn, who worked with him on last year’s acclaimed 50, and recorded in rural Wales with a band that includes a cellist and pedal steel player — that for the first time ever he’ll be playing an album in its entirety on tour next spring.