“I thought I'd never write again without any stimulation,” the recovering drugs aficionado told Billboard. “But you know what? Instead of picking of the bottle I just got honest and said, 'I don't want life to go (to pieces).' “

“Black Rain” will arrive May 22 via Epic. It marks his follow-up to “Down to Earth,” which opened at No. 4 in October 2001. (In 2005 he released a covers set called “Under Cover.”)