James Blake’s Trying Times encapsulates all of his musical stamps

He has firmly made an indelible mark in 21st-century American music. The self-titled and its generous follow-up Overgrown introduced production and songwriting fusions that have shaped today’s mainstream alt-R&B: a post-dubstep frenzy laced with emotionally fragile lyrics found in certain nooks of Bon Iver, Sampha and Billie Eilish. He’d then go on to contribute his unique vision to America’s most influential hip-hop stars like Kendrick Lamar (DAMN.), Anderson .Paak (Carpinteria) and Jay-Z (4:44). Trying Times, his seventh solo album and first independent release, arrives fifteen years after his debut as an extensive encapsulation of all his musical stamps in the ever-changing industry.

It’s easy to understand why Blake believes this is his “strongest” work yet. When paired with its closest sibling Friends Who Break My Heart, Trying Times struts with an intriguing lightness of heart and an exhilarating calmness that only comes after relentless chaos. “Make Something Up” has an easy progression that keeps you hooked for he and his partner’s philosophical search for a definition of abstract, monolithic feelings. “Days Go By” is noted by swooping splutters of Dizzee Rascal’s “I LUV U”, creating sets of robotic jerks forward to portray the remarkable mundanity of steady love. “Through the High Wire” brings out the highest highs of any unpredictable song structure through seething, white-hot trap.

Trying Times isn’t a record to flesh out new sonic inventions, and sometimes that leads to overgrown familiarity. “Didn’t Come to Argue” recalls the extreme vocal stretches on Bon Iver’s “iMi”, stitched atop a grandiose orchestra and a left-turn twist that makes you believe you’ve moved on to a new track. “Obsession” is yet another instance of unnecessary interludes downplaying his records’ pace. After songs full of lush soundscapes, Blake probably means “Feel It Again” to be a restive stop before entering a resplendent finale, but its excessive emptiness is too jarring not to slip into the album’s skip list. A handful of refinements would’ve made this an instantly awe-inspiring opus.

There seems to be nothing else much left to be proved as one of today’s most influential producers. Combined with being his first release under no labels, Trying Times is the epitome of years-long commercial and stylistic success as well as an endearing ode to music-making. “I Had a Dream She Took My Hand” could be a metaphor for gripping inspirations that threaten to disappear like a lost dream. “Rest of Your Life” may be read as a devotional letter to his treasured career. “Where are you gonna spend it?” he questions rhetorically beneath ecstatic, sponged club beats, eyeing his own answer. This is how confidence charms a record; even if it doesn’t feel like a groundbreaking return, many tracks here align with his ingenious artistic consistency.