After a four-year hiatus acclaimed singer-songwriter Tom Hickox announces his new album The Orchestra of Stories, out on his label, Family Tree Records.

Written and produced by Tom, much of the album was recorded with the revered Chineke! Orchestra, Europe's first majority Black and ethnically diverse orchestra.

The album delivers what its title promises: a rich tapestry of human narratives, brought to life with grand ambition and intricate detail. Throughout the album Tom elevates his celebrated storytelling with a cinematic sweep of songs brimming with drama and poignancy. From 'The Clairvoyant' - a mariachi-favoured tale of a widower deceived by a fraudulent psychic - to 'The Failed Assassination of Fidel Castro', which recasts a doomed CIA mission turned love affair, Hickox's gift for unearthing and reimagining stories from a wide range of sources blossoms here, each song revealing a universal truth that resonates long after the final note has rung out.

Tom Hickox rose to recognition with his 2014 debut album War, Peace and Diplomacy (Fierce Panda), which was followed in 2017 by the acclaimed Monsters In The Deep lauded by the likes of The Sunday Times ("literate chamber pop at its most haunting, poetic and complex"), MOJO ("this one's a keeper," 4-stars) and Louder Than War ("An album that absorbs and achieves"). He has performed on Later with Jools Holland and his song 'The Lisbon Maru' was recently featured in an award- winning documentary.