Just as he did earlier this year, Kris Kristofferson [ tickets ] will spend the first couple months of the New Year touring the US, this time behind his September release, "Closer to the Bone."

The singer/actor will begin the tour mid-month, kicking off the trek with a Jan. 14 performance in Fresno, CA. After two more California shows, he'll head east, finishing up the final eight concerts throughout the Southern states. The outing currently wraps with a Feb. 14 performance in Tulsa, OK. Details are included below.

"Closer to the Bone," Kristofferson's 20th studio effort, hit shelves in September on New West Records. The 12-track set, which features all songs written by the musician, peaked at No. 29 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and No. 19 on the Canadian Top Country Albums chart.

One song, "From Here to Forever," was co-written with longtime collaborator/musician Stephen Bruton, who died earlier this year of complications from cancer.

"Something was making a direct communication with the audience," Kristofferson said of his solo performances in a statement posted at his website. "I guess it must be down to the essence of the songs. Because God knows, there's better guitar players and singers. But it seems to be working with my material--just me and the song."

"Closer to the Bone" follows 2006's "This Old Road," which marked the performer's first collection of new material since 1995's "A Moment of Forever."

Kristofferson--who splits his time between music and a busy acting career--was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in November 2004.