Roachford, whose most famous song Cuddly Toy has been a mainstay of radio airplay for over three decades now, is back and about to release what is assuredly the best album of his career in Twice in a Lifetime.

Twice in a Lifetime is the album he’s been gearing up to make for decades. It’s the sound of someone at the top of their game, of one who knows his craft inside out. Produced by Grammy award winning Jimmy Hogarth, who has previously worked with Paolo Nutini, Duffy and Amy Winehouse, and featuring several members of Winehouse’s band, it’s full of grit and the most tremendous sonic energy, tracks like Are You Satisfied? throbbing with Stax-era musicality and soul. Lyrically, meanwhile, the album reveals an artist who has unambiguously Lived A Life.

Since Cuddly Toy reached number four in the charts back in 1988 – when, at its peak, it was selling 33,000 copies a day – Andrew Roachford has carved out a career for himself as one of the most compelling, and consistent, rock and soul artists the UK has produced. He has released 10 studio albums, several greatest hits collections, has been approached to write for various other artists including Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson and Joss Stone, and toured with contemporaries including Terence Trent D’Arby and The Christians. For the past nine years, he has been part of Mike + the Mechanics, recording with Mike Rutherford’s post-Genesis band, playing live with them across the world.

He is someone who channels the energy of James Brown before going on stage each night, and who, on record, summons up the spirit of everyone from Al Green to Joe Cocker. When he sings, you listen.