HIS NEW album went straight into the charts at number five, and he's got a huge UK tour about to start.

Engelbert Humperdinck has always been a top attraction.

But right now, he's hotter than ever. And it's thanks to a beer advert he stars in with comedian Peter Kay.

He's now on our screens practically nightly, crooning his biggest hit Please Release Me in a multi-million pound ad campaign for John Smiths.

In case you haven't seen it, it's set in a Las Vegas club and Bolton's most famous son is on holiday with his family.

He comes back from the bar as Eng pauses in preparation for the final note, and interrupts the silence with a cry of: "Go!"

Kay's totally oblivious to the fact he's ruined the big number for everyone and sits back down, telling the singer: "Carry on!"

Leicester-born Engelbert, 67, says simply: "That advert's changed my life.

"I've been performing all over the world for years but suddenly the UK has taken over, I'm really visible in the media - I'd been practically absent from TV for a long time."

In London recently, promoting his UK tour, he found that when he ventured out of radio and TV studios for a spot of lunch in a local pub, everyone wanted to say hello.

"Cabbies, people on the street," says Engelbert. "It's been crazy."

He lives in Los Angeles, mostly, but he'd seen Peter's previous John Smiths advert - the swimming pool one with the dive bombing - when he was in the UK.

"I thought it was very funny," he says. "And when my people approached me about this one, I said, yes, why not? Peter's a great guy."

Blunt British humour is something he misses when he's in the States, along with sensible driving.

"I like to get the Harley Davidson out on a sunny afternoon, there's nothing like the wind on your face ... but the traffic is terrible, drivers here in LA are like they're on a suicide wish."

The tour begins at the end of May, with dates in Dublin and Belfast.

It continues through June, coming to Bradford St George's Hall - the closest show to Huddersfield.

If interest in the album, Engelbert - His Greatest Love Songs is anything to go by, demand for tickets will be high.

Love songs, of course, are his speciality.The disc includes classics such as The Last Waltz, There Goes My Everything, Can't Take My Eyes Off You and What A Wonderful World.

Engelbert says: "A good love song is about that meeting of two people, it reminds you of a particular time in your life.

"Of course Please Release Me is a sad song, some of the best love songs are the melancholy ones."

He continues: "It's going to be great to be back in the UK, I haven't done a big tour there for three years. I'm thrilled about it."

That's not to say he's been taking it easy. He performs an average of 140 shows every year.

Engelbert says: "Your voice pipes are a muscle that gets stronger the more you use them.

"I played in Las Vegas for many years, it's such an exciting place to be.

"So many of the top stars do - even Elton John. But now I go only twice a year.

"The rest of the time, I travel the world. Last year I went to Russia for the first time. It was fun. had to have an interpreter on stage to talk to the audience between songs.

"When I go to Germany or a Spanish-speaking country I can talk to them in their own language - and of course I sing in Spanish, too."

Engelbert, who has a home and plenty of relatives in Leicester, was born Arnold Dorsey.

He was already known as Gerry to his friends and family when he gained musical success as Gerry Dorsey in the 1950s.

He enjoyed years of moderate fame, though his singles never charted, but his star seemed to be waning by the mid-60s.

Then in 1966 an old showbiz associate Gordon Mills, who was then managing Tom Jones, persuaded him to change his name to Engelbert Humperdinck - the same as a romantic German composer who died in 1921.

"Nobody calls me anything else but Eng or Engelbert now," he says. "It's a name that's been very lucky for me."

Stardom didn't come straight away, though - his first two singles for Decca floundered. His third attempt, Please Release Me, an old song that had previosuly been a hit in the US for Esther Phillips, became a huge international hit, sealing his popularity from then on.

In his spare time, Engelbert is a keen golfer.

"My handicap's 11, which isn't bad for someone who's away touring all the time," he reveals. And he loves to listen to music, citing Mariah Carey, Bon Jovi and Sting among his favourites.

But at the moment there's hardly such a thing as a day off for him - along with all the shows, Engelbert is busy writing his autobiography, which is set to come out in the autumn.

"It's a hell of a job. I need people around me who were there at the time to help me remember everything that happened, " he admits.

* See Engelbert and his 10-piece band at St George's Hall on Tuesday June 8.

The show starts at 7.30pm and tickets are £20, £25, £27.50. Call the box office on 01274 432000.