There’s a big blue-and-white sticker on the front of Tim Booth’s new Bone (Koch) that proclaims in capital letters, "Ex–lead singer of James; the voice of the hit ‘Laid,’ as featured in American Pie." Which is all true. For nearly two decades, Booth fronted that eclectic Mancunian band. And in the States, at least, he and his Jamesian colleagues have one claim to fame: that 1993 song with the lyrics about sex positions and the yodelish leap into falsetto on the chorus, later resurrected to help sell the above-mentioned teensploitation blockbuster.

But truth isn’t necessarily synonymous with comfort. If you know anything about James’s long history, you’ll remember that, following some unpleasant experiences with the British music press in the mid ’80s that culminated in their being christened the "poor man’s Smiths," Booth and his mates became increasingly reluctant to play the music-biz game of interviews, photo shoots, and general gladhanding. So you’d figure that promoting a new solo record on the back of a song that’s more than 10 years old — being conscious all the while that it’s his sole US hit — might rankle Booth a little. Yet speaking over the phone from his home in Brighton (the English one), he doesn’t seem all that aggravated. "I’m proud of my history, and it’s only logical that it gets mentioned. I do have to let people know that my album’s out there somehow."

One thing that may make it easier for Booth to negotiate the promotional circus this time around is the serendipitous nature of the album he’s promoting. According to him, nothing about Bone was planned; he hadn’t even wanted to pursue a solo career. When he left James in 2001, it was because "I felt our last record [Pleased To Meet You] was the best we’d done, and I couldn’t see us bettering it. I wanted us to go out on a high, instead of waiting till we were sliding down the blackboard of success with our nails firmly dug in and making a howling sound."

Booth’s next move was into acting and scriptwriting. He’s made things happen in both departments, with two finished screenplays now circulating through various corridors of power, an award-winning stage turn in playwright Edward Bond’s Manchester production of Bond’s Saved, and an appearance (as a serial killer) in the next Batman movie. But music hadn’t completely lost its pull. "I never got tired of writing songs. It’s a natural thing to me, and it’s cheaper than therapy."

A few chance meetings with local musicians, the most important being producer and multi-instrumentalist Lee "Muddy" Baker, resulted in a bumper crop of new tunes. Booth says he told himself at first that he was writing them for someone else to perform. "My original plan was to find some young, cute, talented musicians to do these songs. I’d be in the background and wouldn’t even let on that I’d written them. That way I’d get out of having to do interviews." He laughs. "But I fell in love with the songs too much to let go of them."

It’s hard to argue that Booth doesn’t own the songs now; every track on Bone is graced with a characteristically stirring vocal performance. As was the case in James, the backdrop for those vocals is diverse, ranging from the Lou Reed/Iggy Pop garage rock of "Eh Mamma" to the slithery ’80s-style dance pop of "Wave Hello" (vaguely reminiscent of another James semi-hit, 1991’s "Sit Down"). If there’s a weak link here, it’s the same one critics have always carped about: Booth’s musings on identity and sexuality can seem overblown. The music of the dramatic early-Bowie-esque ballad "Discover" is great, but Booth’s intoning "I’ve been the Nazi and I’ve been the Jew" is nothing short of an "Aw, come on now!" moment.

The standout track on Bone, "Fall in Love," prompts no such reservations. This fetching love song first appeared, in more ornate garb, on Booth’s 1996 collaboration with composer Angelo Badalamenti, Booth and the Bad Angel. "When Lee heard the original recording, he thought me and Angelo had fucked it up, which we kind of had." Re-recorded in stripped-down form, it sounds classic, like something Elvis or the Everlys could have done in their prime.

Booth plans to bring his new songs and his new band to the States for some shows in the spring. And they should be well worth catching live — assuming the frontman doesn’t injure himself. "I just came off the European tour and went on my back for about four weeks," he reports. "I ruptured some discs in my neck dancing a little too energetically. The last time I toured America, I damaged my back. It’s a risky business."