Image Credit: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic.com Can’t wait to hear the first CD from Lee DeWyze? Then there’s good news—you don’t have to. In fact, the American Idol champion has already put out two albums: 2007′s So I’m Told and this year’s Slumberland, which hit stores in January, as DeWyze was setting out on the path to Idol glory.

Both albums were released by the Chicago-based indie label WuLi Records, which was established in 2005 by producer-drummer Ryan T. McGuire and guitarist Louis Svitek, who has played with industrial-metallers Ministry, amongst others. McGuire and Svitek also backed DeWyze on the two CDs. “I’ve been working with Lee since he was 17,” says Svitek. “A friend of mine was like, ‘Hey, I met this young kid, and I think he’s somebody you’d like to work with.’ Lee played some stuff for me, and we just started working together from there. I really think eventually Lee would have become noticed no matter what. But he approached us right after we recorded Slumberland and was like, ‘I want to do American Idol.’ We released him from his contract and off he went.”

Svitek says that the last couple of months have been a surreal experience. “I’ve never watched American Idol before, and I watched every single episode to see how he was doing,” admits the guitarist. “I did vote for him, and so did my girl. She voted for him constantly. He deserved to win.”

The label boss says that he has had no contact with RCA—Lee DeWyze’s new record company—but that he remains in touch with his once, and possibly future, musical collaborator. “I met up with Lee a couple of days ago and he told us a little bit about what’s going on,” explains Svitek. “I know they’re going to try and get the best people they can to record on his album. They’re probably going to get some superstars on there. But if he wants someone who’s played with Ministry, all he has to do is call me up!”

I’ve embedded the Slumberland track “Stay” after the jump (as well as a video of DeWyze interviewed by our own Michael Slezak.) Give it a listen and tell us what you think. Does it tempt you to buy one of DeWyze’s pre-Idol CDs?

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