John Hiatt [ tickets ] has signed a new record deal with Vanguard Records and Internet site EMusic.com, both of whom will distribute Hiatt’s forthcoming album “Crossing Muddy Waters.” EMusic.com will distribute the album via its website in the MP3 format.

“Crossing Muddy Waters,” an acoustic album, is the follow-up to Hiatt’s 1997 release “Little Head” (Capitol). The disc features 11 new tracks, the first of which, “Lincoln Town,” can currently be purchased and downloaded from EMusic.com’s website for 99 cents. The entire album is slated for release sometime in September, though no specific date has been set.

Though the release of his new album is weeks away, Hiatt kicked off a U.S. tour in May that stops in Salt Lake City on Friday night (7/21). The tour is currently scheduled to run until Sept. 10, though more dates are likely to be added as a release date for Hiatt’s album approaches.

Although he is a prolific recording artist in his own right--with well over a dozen albums to his credit over the course of his roughly 30-year career--Hiatt’s music is best known as performed by other artists. One of Bonnie Raitt’s biggest hits was her version of Hiatt’s “Thing Called Love.” Bob Dylan, Ronnie Milsap and Iggy Pop are also among those who have covered Hiatt originals.

Hiatt parted ways with Capitol after releasing “Little Head.” His new deal with Vanguard and EMusic.com adds him to a growing list of artists whose music the site sells in the MP3 format. According to an EMusic.com press release, the site also sells music by Bush, Green Day, Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello and B.B. King.

EMusic.com claims to have the Internet’s largest catalog of downloadable MP3 music available for purchase, with prices ranging from 99 cents for singles to $8.99 for full-length albums. EMusic.com’s parent company, EMusic, operates several other music-oriented websites, including RollingStone.com and DownBeat.com.