Jim Andralis’s ‘I Can’t Stop Trying’ is a true songwriter’s delight. The narrative driven album that’s loaded with vivid storytelling feels like you’re peering into the life of its voice, really peeling at the layers of history that made him what he was. Written during periods of prolonged and deep isolation over the last two years that many of us can relate to, the entire record is filled with an exploration into those moments, spaces, and feelings with such ready vulnerability and openness. Opening with “New York City Spring,” he walks us through his memories of the city before his voice rings out on an uplifting and empowering chorus that just rises like an anthem.
And while these anthemic pieces do find themselves a plenty on the record, there’s also moments of restraint and softness. The morose and sorrowful ballad that is ‘Soloflex’ tells the true story of two old friends in a small Pennsylvania town—and the tragedy to follow while only really relying on storytelling and a minimal acoustic arrangement. There’s an incredibly touching duet also on Take It Back that’s bound to strike a chord with listeners.
It would be remiss of me to explain and elucidate the stories and tales being regaled across this record as it feels like a compromise on the quality and talent behind the song writing and narrative storytelling that Jim Andralis has so carefully pieced together over the past two years. You’re bound to find stories to relate to, stories to cry to, stories that empower you, and odes that pull your heartstrings. It’s a remarkable piece of song writing from back to front, highlighting the everlasting nature of a single artist’s capacity to unload an emotional juggernaut of a record with arrangements that are uncomplicated and complementary to a story over anything else.