The quirky songwriter and singer Ben Folds will be touring in Europe and the US and will also be releasing his third solo set.

The US leg of the tour will launch in Philadelphia on September 6. Folds will be performing with the Chamber Orchestra. His coast to coast US trek, which will stretch through until the middle of November, will also include orchestral performances in Louisville, KY; Fort Wayne, IN; and Nashville, Folds’ hometown. The remainder of the itinerary will be filled with theater shows.

Ticketmaster and iTunes will be offering early access for tickets to fans when they pre-order the forthcoming album of Folds’, “Way to Normal” through August 7. Those who do so will get to download two album songs immediately as well as receiving two more bonus tracks at the time of the album’s release, which is set for September 30.

The European leg of the tour will last for three weeks and include a run of dates in the UK with Counting Crows. It will be kicking off at the end of November. The dates are listed on Folds’ website.

Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello) produced “Way to Normal.” The set features Folds on piano and vocals, Jared Reynolds on bass and Sam Smith on drums. Regina Spektor is a guest vocalist appearing on “You Don’t Know Me,” the first single from the album.

In a recent press release the album was described as a raucous, exuberant and at times profane mix of moving, thoughtful ballads, cheery snark fest and sure fire tunes guaranteed to please the crowds. Folds wrote the songs in late 2007 after finalizing his divorce of two years. However Folds did point out the song’s aren’t topical.

Folds explain he didn’t want to make a D-word record. I was able to get that stuff all out on my last album, he said, referring to “Songs for Silverman” from 2005 which was a deliberately stoic album. The new set is about me really being free, he said. It feels very expressive and cathartic. It’s all about me being myself again.

“Hiroshima,” a high energy single from the album, is streaming on the MySpace page for Folds.