Isaak’s trademark quivering falsetto is very much in evidence on his first collection of new songs in five years. The swaggering ‘Big Wide Wonderful World’ revisits his early rock ‘n’ roll influences; ‘Take My Heart’ smoothly zips along, while ‘We’ve Got Tomorrow’ blends rockabilly with a touch of swamp rock. Trisha Yearwood joins him for the twanging ballad ‘Breaking Apart’, ‘Best I Ever Had’ is a classy stab at country rock, and there’s more rockabilly on the robust ‘Mr Lonely Man’. And the ultra-melancholic ‘We Let Her Down’ could have Darth Vader dabbing his eyes.
It’s to Isaak’s credit that he hasn’t tried to make up for his long absence by over-reaching or re-inventing himself. Instead, he’s simply decided to do what he does best, crooning alt-pop. He was never one for taking big risks anyway, so why start now?

Key track: ‘You Don’t Cry Like I Do’