LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Bruce Springsteen has set January 14 as the release date for his 18th studio album -- a mix of cover versions, studio outtakes and re-recordings of old songs, titled "High Hopes."

"This is music I always felt needed to be released," the U.S. rock legend said on his website. He also posted a video for the title track composed by singer-songwriter Tim Scott McConnell.

Musicians appearing alongside The Boss on the 12-track album include guitarist Tom Morello and members of the E Street Band, including saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who died in 2011.

The new album will come out two weeks before Springsteen performs the first of three scheduled concerts in South Africa ahead of a tour of Australia and New Zealand.