Trying Times, released March 13th, is the first fully independent album from English R&B auteur James Blake. Without a label to hold him back, Blake’s newest project is brimming with expertise and creativity, unshackling the potential of his polymathic skillset. His production is the best it’s ever been, his vocals are virtuosic and his songwriting shines in the spotlight. This is, undeniably, the best solo album he’s ever made.
As in Blake high-profile collaborations with rapper Kanye West and popstar Rosalía, Trying Times satisfyingly fuses his various genre dabblings, combining R&B instrumentation with hip-hop verses and pop choruses. Where that fusion may have seemed clunky in some of his previous works, Trying Times takes the concept and runs with it, juxtaposing minimalist club beats with gospel hymns and acoustic performances.
Production, as in most Blake music, takes center stage on this album from the very start. The album’s first track, “Walk Out Music,” begins with appropriate, up-tempo fanfare, melding distorted vocal samples with sweeping synths. Blake croons in a glistening falsetto before diving into the lowest notes of his range, complemented beautifully by his cascading electronic accompaniment. Where many pop music producers strive to eliminate imperfection, Blake allows his soundscapes to retain some grit, giving the track a rich texture that sounds incredible on high-end speakers.
What follows is a seven track stretch of excellence, mixing masterful electronics with well-written acoustic touches. Lead single “Death of Love,” the album’s second track, slows down the pace to make a glitchy R&B anthem, highlighting Blake’s distinct vocal timbre that fits soul so well. The next track, “I Had a Dream She Took My Hand,” pushes Blake’s voice even further with a gospel chorus and stripped-back instrumental. Even without the support of his dense production, Blake holds his own as a vocalist by layering elegant harmonies, building to a crescendo.
Blake follows this up with the title track, “Trying Times,” the first song to mostly eschew synths for real instruments: drumset, organ, electric guitar, brass and bass. “Trying Times” is a much-welcomed, melancholic change of pace in addition to being brilliantly composed in its own right, featuring Blake’s strongest lyrics and most moving vocal performance on the album
“I’m breaking, I hid it well,” Blake sings, “‘Cause I can’t afford to replace the shell.”
Another highlight in this string of successes is “Days Go By,” an R&B cut scored by groovy synths and chipmunk soul samples, à la recent collaborator Kanye. Blake delivers another soulful chorus before the song transforms with hip-hop drums and a glittering string section. It may be hard to pin-down a single genre that describes “Days Go By,” but the song represents the peak potential of Blake’s musical fusion, taking the best parts of R&B vocal virtuosity, hip-hop’s complex rhythms and popular music’s swelling strings.
Not all of Blake’s experiments are equally successful though. “Obsession,” a track simply scored by piano, relies heavily on Blake’s vocal performance only to push him beyond the limits of his range. Blake sounds uncharacteristically shrill and wispy on the track which is only salvaged by its brevity. Here, and elsewhere on the album, Blake’s lyrics also leave a lot to be desired, a deficiency which especially hurts tracks with less complex instrumentals.
On “Feel it Again,” the album’s penultimate song, Blake turns in an underwhelming instrumental that makes the track feel like an interlude. Nothing about the ephemeral synth bleeps on this song give it staying power, made worse by the fact that it introduces the album’s electrifying closer “Just A Little Higher.”
It feels appropriate to end an album called Trying Times, filled with stories about individual tumult, with a dissection of the contemporary political climate, even if the actual lyrics fall flat.
“Everyone’s getting different information,” Blake sings, “so how can we get on the same side?”
Milquetoast political takes aside, a powerful piano-led instrumental and enormous vocals from Blake elevate this finale, making a worthy send-off for such a high-quality project.
In all, Trying Times is brilliantly exotic, shockingly familiar and ultimately triumphant, a stunningly produced take on modern pop. While Blake’s lyrics leave something to be desired, Trying Times stands as a testament to his ability as a composer above all.
Benjamin Smith is composition student and multi-instrumentalist who writes for the music desk of WVUA-FM. In addition to his contributions to the station, he serves as a copy editor and writer for The Crimson White, producing journalism on technology, justice and lifestyle. At the University of Alabama, he is pursuing a bachelor's in music composition and a master's in quantitative economics.
As an active composer, his score for the short film "Burnt Canvas" debuted at the Bama Theatre in 2026.
