These detours feel slightly random up against some of the most unadventurous tracks in his catalog, like the smoky ballad “Didn’t Come to Argue.” Like most of his albums, Trying Times could use a little editing, but that’s part-and-parcel of the James Blake package these days.
Trying Times may not have much to say about our age, but the tunes are undoubtedly worth hearing.
Although it’s perfectly pleasant, Trying Times, as a whole, seldom rises above a serviceable standard.
A record that couldn’t be more consistently him. It paints this, his seventh studio album, as a compendium of his best parts, and perhaps his first to truly do so.
Trying Times falters slightly in its final third – “Obsession” registers more as a sketch than a song – but these are minor frictions in a record whose emotional logic is otherwise unerring.
It may not be Blake’s most musically or emotionally commanding, but it has a clarity, honesty, and depth that make it a welcome addition to both his discography and the anxious times we’re living in.
Blake’s lyrics often circle ideas rather than landing on them, leaving some songs feeling like emotional sketches. But that ambiguity is part of the album’s appeal. These songs feel lived-in and unresolved, the way real relationships often are.
While it certainly has its darker moments, Trying Times is never maudlin. The album is shot through with Blake’s wit and dry humor—which is also what makes its moments of frank sincerity so compelling.
These detours feel slightly random up against some of the most unadventurous tracks in his catalog, like the smoky ballad “Didn’t Come to Argue.” Like most of his albums, Trying Times could use a little editing, but that’s part-and-parcel of the James Blake package these days.
Trying Times may not have much to say about our age, but the tunes are undoubtedly worth hearing.
Although it’s perfectly pleasant, Trying Times, as a whole, seldom rises above a serviceable standard.
A record that couldn’t be more consistently him. It paints this, his seventh studio album, as a compendium of his best parts, and perhaps his first to truly do so.
Trying Times falters slightly in its final third – “Obsession” registers more as a sketch than a song – but these are minor frictions in a record whose emotional logic is otherwise unerring.
It may not be Blake’s most musically or emotionally commanding, but it has a clarity, honesty, and depth that make it a welcome addition to both his discography and the anxious times we’re living in.
Blake’s lyrics often circle ideas rather than landing on them, leaving some songs feeling like emotional sketches. But that ambiguity is part of the album’s appeal. These songs feel lived-in and unresolved, the way real relationships often are.
While it certainly has its darker moments, Trying Times is never maudlin. The album is shot through with Blake’s wit and dry humor—which is also what makes its moments of frank sincerity so compelling.
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