Singer/songwriter David Gray [ tickets ] backs the forthcoming US release of his "Greatest Hits" album with a short headlining tour over the first two weeks of December.

The British performer will kick off the outing Dec. 2 in Toronto, hitting eight cities over 12 days. Singer Joshua James will open the first six shows of the trek, which is detailed below.

"Greatest Hits," due to drop Nov. 13, is Gray's first career-spanning retrospective. Earlier this year, Gray released "Shine: The Best of the Early Years," which covered material from his first three albums.

Along with some of Gray's best-known work, the new set includes a live version of the song "Shine," which first appeared on 1993's "A Century Ends," and two new cuts produced by Pink Floyd/Sex Pistols producer Chris Thomas: the lead single "You're the World to Me" and "Destroyer."

Yet another 2007 release, August's "A Thousand Miles Behind," gathers various live covers of classic rock, folk and country hits the singer has performed over the years, including three Bob Dylan tunes ("To Ramona," "One Too Many Mornings" and "Buckets of Rain") and a pair of Bruce Springsteen compositions ("Mansion on the Hill" and "Streets of Philadelphia").

Gray's most recent full-length studio effort is 2005's "Life in Slow Motion."