Universal Music's Decca Records has signed Damian Lewis of being-an-actor fame so that he can release an album of "rootsy, rock and jazz-tinged songs" that, we are told, reveal "a deep love of music and a deep need to communicate".
Apparently that album, called 'Mission Creep' and out on 16 Jun, is in part inspired by the time when, shortly after leaving school, Lewis busked his way around Europe. Though the idea to actually make a record came about much more recently during lockdown.
Says the man himself: “I suddenly had a lot to say. People will judge if it’s any good or not, but for me, it felt entirely natural".
Add Decca Co-Presidents Tom Lewis and Laura Monks: "We are so delighted that Damian chose Decca. His songwriting is poetic, poignant and deeply personal. The album, recorded just down the road in Kentish Town, has a raw and refreshing honesty to it. Damian really opens his heart and invites us in. It is a thing of great beauty".
First single 'Down On The Bowery' is out now, and Lewis will also play some tunes at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival on 1 May, the Black Deer Festival on 16 Jun and at London's Union Chapel on 11 Jul.