Former American Idol finalist Katharine McPhee sings her way back into the spotlight with her second album, “Unbroken.” McPhee creates a more personal feel with her latest work, with lyrics that tell the story of regret, love and growth.

“Unbroken” follows a narrative arc, starting with regret and then moving to fear of love and opening up to another person. It then transitions to her tentatively trying to let love in, still scared. It’s definitely a staple break-up album that anyone with a broken heart can relate to.

 “Unbroken” starts with “It’s Not Right,” which is about McPhee’s fear of jumping into love and getting her heart broken. The next song, “Had it All,” has a country feel to it. The lyrics are about a girl getting everything she wants only to realize she had it all in the first place. The title track, “Unbroken,” features just McPhee and a piano. It wraps up the narrative of the album with lyrics about regrowth and newfound strength. It is a more joyful song that  rounds out the album’s narrative nicely with a happy and carefree ending.

The album focuses strongly on McPhee’s voice, keeping most of the instrumentals minimal and acoustic. “Unbroken” works to mix pop, country and jazz to appeal to all ages’ musical preferences.

Not all the songs are standouts, and some, like “Keep Driving,” are just plain boring. Any song off the album seems like it could have been plucked out of a romantic comedy’s sound track.

However, the album is a definite step up from McPhee’s first, which lacked the depth that “Unbroken” has. McPhee may not have won Idol, but she is winning the attention of the music industry with an album that features great lyrics and powerful vocals.