AHEAD of a UK tour this autumn singer songwriter Tom Baxter has been honing his considerable craft working with a stellar trio of collaborators.

Now Tom is to road test songs he has been working on with revered singer-songwriter Judie Tzuke, 10cc’s Graham Gouldman and Sam Semple, who previously co-wrote Better with Tom.

“Working with such amazingly talented writers has been incredibly inspiring,” says Tom, “as has recording in my new studio in a beautiful 1930s building in Crouch End. I’m looking forward to playing the fruits of our labours on the autumn shows and then recording them in December.”

With a new album out in March through Sony, Tom’s last single, The Arc, a beautifully crafted devotional love song written for the wedding of his friend, actor/director David Schwimmer, was given away on his website. The two have been close ever since the former Friends star included Tom’s now classic song Better in the hit film Run, Fatboy, Run.

Tom’s songs have been covered by the likes of Boyzone, Shirley Bassey and Engelbert Humperdinck. His track Miracle, also co-written with Sam Semple, sound tracked the BBC’s Beijing Olympics montage.

Tom Baxter’s most recent album, 2013’s intensely personal The Uncarved Block, was only available through his website, but it’s more than a decade since his self-titled debut EP with its stop-everything-and-listen lead track My Declaration.

He followed that with the acclaimed first album Feather and Stone and its follow up, Skybound, which was accompanied by pieces of art he made for each track.

Tom’s tour dates include The Railway, Winchester on November 20.