Martine McCutcheon

For a fleeting few years back at the turn of the noughties Martine McCutcheon was the name on everyone's lips. Having proved a triumphant hit with audiences on EastEnders as Tiffany Mitchell, she left the show to score her Perfect Moment as a popstar. Landing at #1 with her debut single in 1999, her subsequent ballad heavy debut album You, Me & Us proved equally popular and achieved #2 in the album charts. Although the disco tinged Wishing failed to match the success of her debut just a year later, it was 2002's Musicality which saw her sign off from life as a pop star. A collection of musical theatre numbers timed to release alongside her award winning appearance in Breakfast At Tiffany's, the album didn't resonate with her fanbase. Although her appearance in Love Actually reaffirmed her place in the hearts of audiences around the world, ill health caused her to slow down her career pace and her resurgence into popularity followed after her addition to the Loose Women panel last year.

Now 15 years after her third studio album, Martine has returned to the sound that first launched her music career and delivered to follow-up many anticipated in the wake of You, Me & Us. Co-penned on the whole by her husband Jack McManus, whose own return to recording is long overdue, Lost and Found is an aptly titled collection of ballads and mid-tempos that showcase the innate beauty of Martine's driven vocal.

Having kickstarted her recording career with the album's opening number, Say I'm Not Alone, Martine made it very clear to her listener that they should expect an album of easy on the ear, approachable songs that will not push boundaries. And in the case of Martine this is not a negative. Martine's appeal was always that she was the girl next door who had more than her fair slice of talent. These open, honest and relateable songs will be the perfect route back into the hearts of her core audience and ensure demand for album number.

At it's weakest Lost and Found delivers a questionable cover of Every Breath You Take that simply doesn't achieve anything the original managed emotionally. However this is the only lowlight out of 10 songs. At the other end of the spectrum is the punchy Any Sign Of Life, which shows Martine has more than a little fight left in her. Equally impressive are the emotional Cried A Little, adorable What You Do To Me and insightful Stay With Me, a truly memorable duet with her husband.

It could be argued that Lost and Found plays it safe, but it actually is simply the work of an artist who has realised where she fits in a very tough industry and is happy to take her place and enjoy each moment. An impressive return.