Robbie Robertson to release new solo album after TIFF doc debut on his life

Musician Robbie Robertson stands in front of a photo of himself in Ottawa, on Thursday November 2, 2006. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Fred Chartrand)

TORONTO - Canadian rock legend Robbie Robertson is set to release his first new solo studio album in eight years.

Universal Music Canada says "Sinematic" will drop on Sept. 20.

The opening track, "I Hear You Paint Houses," has a duet with Van Morrison and is available now for streaming and download with a digital album pre-order.

The label says the album is inspired by Robertson's decades of creating and composing music for film and is filled with songs "exploring the darker corridors of human nature."

The 13-song, self-produced collection is Robertson's first studio album since 2011's "How To Become Clairvoyant."

"Sinematic" will come shortly after the documentary "Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band" debuts at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 5.