Previously praised by leading talents such as Sir Elton John and Sting, Jake Isaac’s recent tracks ‘Start Again’ and ‘Still Have You’ have seen the South Londoner take his soulful expression and sumptuous songcraft to a new level. Jake Isaac now raises the bar with a double-bill of announcements. Today he shares his new single ‘When It Hurts’ and its official video, which features the chart-topping Jack Savoretti, and announces April 14th release date of his new album ‘For When It Hurts’.
‘For When It Hurts’ is a record which sees Jake starting conversations about the issues which men often keep under wraps. He embraces the vulnerabilities that come with love and loss, with fears and failures, with hope and helplessness, and provides a safe space and touching antidote to the toxic masculinity that’s sadly in vogue. Musically, he fuses an authentic soul voice with the craftsmanship of classic songwriting which encompasses jazz arrangements and orchestral, semi-classical flourishes - with Jake producing and recording every instrument that features on the album
"‘For When It Hurts’ is literally a step forward from my last album 'Honesty'. It’s my attempt to put some language to honest relationship hurdles and hurts, whilst appreciating and emphasising the need for comfort and consoling when things are hard. I think as men it can often be hard to fully communicate one’s feelings as efficiently as women do, more often than not. This album is my attempt to do that in a non-perfect but transparent way. I suppose one will never get it perfect, but then again if you’re fighting for something it’s always worth a try.”
‘When It Hurts’ collates the album’s strengths into one three-minute package. Jake’s tender baritone weaves into Jack Savoretti’s warm rasp, with the two men elucidating about love. It’s contemporary soul with a broad pop appeal, and an instant calling card for the other riches set to be unveiled upon the album’s release.
Jake continues, “This song is about the days when everything that’s supposed to be beautiful about a relationship is painful. It’s a song to articulate that pain but in a journeying type of way. I think it’s easy when things are rough to give up before the journey event starts. This song speaks to the longing for comfort in those times even from the person you’re journeying with. It’s a massive privilege to have my friend Jack on this one, his incredible voice and musical sensibilities really do push the feeling in the song.” And adds, ”I have always admired Jake’s music, he is an incredible songwriter and so it was wonderful to get the opportunity to work on this song together.”
Jack Savoretti is one of a handful of select collaborators on the album, which also includes Joshua Luke Smith introducing its themes with the spoken word ‘How Are You, No Really’; further vocal class from Jacob Banks on ‘D-Low’; and ‘Broken Piece’, which is elevated by the elegant femininity of Joss Stone. But Jake shines in his own right too, searching for inner strength on ‘Remedy’ and celebrating the two-way dependency of a relationship in ‘To Be Loved’. The most affecting and poignant moment completes the record. Set to plaintive instrumentation, ‘Where There’s Life’ is a voice-note which documents Jake’s thoughts shortly after losing a friend to cancer.
‘For When It Hurts’ will be released on CD, streaming and digital formats, with vinyl following at a later date.
Jake Isaac started his musical journey in church, inspired by his father, Rev. Les Isaac OBE, the founder of the Brixton community charity initiative Street Pastors. Cultivating his multi-instrumentalist skills over the years, music was immediately his path and his career started in his teens as a musician, songwriter and marketeer - all of which underlined to him the importance of making a connection with your songs. Debuting with the ‘Our Lives’ album in 2017, Jake’s subsequent highlights have included the 2021 release of his second album ‘Honesty’ (followed by a Deluxe Edition) and a landmark show on Glastonbury’s Other Stage - leading to over 150 million streams to date.
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