Cerys Matthews has released a new album

Matthews spent seven months living in the traditional home of country music - Nashville, Tennessee - recording the album, titled Cockahoop.

Matthews shot to fame on the back of the success of Catatonia hits in the late 1990s including Mulder and Scully and Road Rage.

But tensions surfaced in the band and Matthews was treated for anxiety and exhaustion.

When Catatonia finally broke up after poorly-received album Paper, Scissors, Stone in 2001, the singer decided to turn her back on Britain and moved to Nashville.

Matthews found fame with Catatonia in the 1990s

But she has returned with her first solo album which contains six songs written by Matthews as well as a Welsh-language hymn.

Matthews said: "I'm really happy about it (the album).

"I like the sounds on it and that it's a live-based album.

"I absolutely love the musicianship on it and I'm quite pleased that it's quite a positive sounding album."

She added that the Welsh-language song contained on the album has a surprising source.

She said: "Arglwydd Dyma Fi is one of my favourite tunes - it's one of the simplest and most powerful I know.

Matthews married Nashville producer Seth Riddle

"It was one that my Nan taught me and I was quite fascinated by the fact that I thought it was some great Welsh hymn.

"Then it turned out that it was written in 1872 by an American."

The year 2003 has already been a busy one for Matthews.

In February, she married record producer Seth Riddle, who she met while in America.

The wedding, which took place at Trevine in Pembrokeshire, saw Matthews arrive on a tractor.

And last month, Matthews announced that she was expecting the couple's first baby.