This is the sixth studio album from former Stone Roses singer and national treasure Ian Brown. My Way has recently been described by its creator as modelled on Michael Jackson’s Thriller, while copious PR notes style it as an autobiographical album, “informed by a turbulent few decades at the front line of British pop culture”. Though most listeners will probably struggle to pick up much resemblance between the masterwork of the late King Of Pop and this good-but-not-obviously-world-beating collection, the autobiographical element is there for sure (hasn’t it always been?) and musicologists will enjoy seeking out the references within the songs to various episodes in Ian Brown’s own career.

Fundamentally, though, the key ingredients of My Way are the same as in Brown’s previous extensive output – catchy and compelling tunes, danceable rhythms and hookable hooks. The rich and inventive instrumentation also continues to be a key element, enhancing – and sometimes compensating for – the artist’s quirkily distinctive vocal delivery. What is different about this collection, however, is the absence of the sort of in-your-face political comment that dominated the previous album, The World Is Yours. While the basic left-leaning, anti-war worldview hasn’t changed, the hectoring tone typified by 2007’s Illegal Attacks is thankfully gone.

My Way opens with lead single, Stellify, with its catchily staccato pub piano and toe-tapping rhythm combining beautifully with classic Ian Brown vocals. With none of the linguistic and political issues that made the aforementioned Illegal Attacks a bit of a problem for radio, this has lots of potential and certainly gets the album off to a strong start. Crowning Of The Poor follows, and sets out the artist’s working-class credentials – “I’m the son of a poor boy” in a richly orchestrated mini-anthem. Typically of Brown, it uses New Testament imagery to make its point. It’s also one of the best songs on the album.

Other outstanding tracks include Always Remember Me, a lyrically personal piece that echoes the unsettling dynamics, near silences and disjointed rhythms typical of previous Stone Roses work. Then there’s Marathon Man – a densely packed musical tapestry into which the artist weaves his own reflections on his journey so far and what the future holds – “got miles and miles already run and miles and miles still left to come”.

For variety, the album also includes a rather good version of In The Year 2525, the 1969 hit by Zager and Evans. The content and style of this song dovetail nicely with the rest of the album – and this century’s even more pressing concerns about the environment, human cloning and the rest give renewed relevance to the lyrics. Clever stuff.

Looked at as a whole, then, My Way is an engaging and entertaining album – less dark and overtly political than The World Is Yours, but with all the feelgood beats and rich orchestration that always make Ian Brown such a damn good listen.