Since coming back from a five-year absence with Knowle West Boy in 2008, Tricky has been on a bit of a tear. While he hasn’t approached the prolificacy of his earlier days, he has maintained a steady release schedule and has sounded more inspired than he has in years. Knowle West Boy and its follow-ups, 2010’s Mixed Race and last year’s False Idols, showed Tricky fusing his trademark sounds with a variety of new styles and pushing himself in new directions. Still, it’s a bit of a shock that he has another record out right on the heels of False Idols. Yet, here is Adrian Thaws for public conception.

The quick turnaround may be due to Tricky’s extended visa problems that have left him unable to tour the US. It stands to reason that he used the free time to go into the studio. Naming the album Adrian Thaws, his legal name, suggests an introspective record, but in the pre-release hype, Tricky has said that this would be his “club” record. Neither is the case. Instead, it’s a record that doesn’t quite match the momentum of the previous three, but doesn’t fall to the depths of 2003’s Vulnerable. In other words, it’s good, but not essential.

Nevertheless, Tricky’s production is as on point as ever. Jumping from subterranean head-nod beats to breezy island rhythms, his style and execution are generally surefooted. However, there’s a head-slapping clunker in the form of “Why Don’t You,” which sounds like a rejected track from David Bowie’s Earthling. There’s a small moment of reprise during the breakdown, but overall it’s overdone. One of the few chest-thumping songs on the record, the second part of the question presented by the title is “go and get fucked.” It’s just awkward all around. As on previous records, Tricky also shows he has a problem finding decent rappers with which to collaborate. While Bella Gotti provides a tough female presence, she’s so cartoonishly over-the-top, and  it’s a chore just to get through her appearances on the album, particularly on “Gangster Chronicles,” where Tricky revisits the sample source of Massive Attack’s “Unfinished Symphony.” It feels like a wasted moment.

Still, as a whole there’s more to like on Adrian Thaws than to hate. Tricky can still serve up whispered menace better than anyone, and his choice of singers far surpasses his rapper selections; they’re all spiritual daughters of his original collaborator, Martina Topley-Bird, though they add their own twists to the formula. Adrian Thaws may not be anything close to what it could be or was supposed to be, but it shows that there are still plenty of reasons to warrant continued interest in whatever Tricky does.