BLUE skies and sunshine greeted soulful singer-songwriter James Morrison as he paid Escot Park a visit ahead of his summer gig in the grounds.

And he says ticket-holders may even be privy to some of the new, unheard material he hopes to showcase at the stately home just outside Exeter.

"I didn't choose the location," admits the Brit Award winner. "But if I had, I would definitely have chosen somewhere like Escot — I love playing outside gigs and being in the countryside. And I love that the park has a really nice historical building as well.

"Escot Park is the sort of place I'd come on my day off. I think the vast open space and all the nature is going to make it a great venue.

"When it starts to get dark it's just a magical time to be playing music outside. And the lighting makes it really atmospheric."

James, whose debut single You Give Me Something saw him shoot to fame in 2006, was on a whistle-stop visit to Exeter and Escot when I caught up with him.

As a teenager he lived near Newquay, and says his West Country roots gave him plenty of inspiration for his first album, Undiscovered.

"It's good to be back in the West Country," he said. "I love coming down here — I don't get down here enough and I do miss it. I lived in Cornwall for five years, and they were some of the best years of my life.

"I moved to Sussex because I like living by the beach. The vibe is similar to the West Country, it's more relaxed.

"I try to use people and things that are around me as inspiration, and my time in Cornwall definitely influenced songwriting, mainly because of the people I met."

Undiscovered sold over a million copies world wide by the end of 2006, making James the best-selling male solo artist that year in the UK. The following year he was nominated for three Brit Awards and was crowned the Best British Male Solo Artist.

His forthcoming concert at Escot is the last of ten gigs that he has lined up for June and July. Since his second album, Songs for You, Truths for Me, which was released in 2008, James has been spending time with his long-term girlfriend and young daughter.

He's now busy working on his third album which he hopes will be ready next spring.

"I'm writing all the time now, and I'm excited about these gigs because they'll get me out of the studio and get me gigging again," he said.

"I'm hoping to road test some of my new stuff at my gigs this summer, but I don't know for sure yet.

"It's always good to relate your album to what it's going to sound like live."

James will be at Escot Park on Friday, July 16, from 7.15pm. Tickets are £28.50 plus booking fee, and are available by calling 0845 2960000. Tickets bought on the day are £32. plus a booking fee.