Five years is a long period of silence when one of your favorite artists does nothing to indicate that the show will go on. And when said person gets married, becomes a parent, and then an actor, doubts begin to creep in as to whether that virtuoso will ever return to the medium through which they earned your utmost respect. 

Such had been my worry since the end of 2017, growing deeper by the month. And then, last Thursday: new Benjamin Clementine music awaiting my ears. While it is his third album, it should, apparently, be thought of as the opening salvo of an upcoming trilogy, all written during the pandemic while he lived in California pursuing acting roles.

On And I Have Been, Clementine explores sonic territory previously unearthed in his repertoire, including, simply enough, guitar. Despite a host of new sounds, his latest is simultaneously less ambitious than his last release. Although, when your second album uses a story of two flies buzzing around the world to comment on a refugee crisis, utilizing an acoustic guitar on the tenth track probably shouldn't raise eyebrows. That said, it takes over eight minutes and the opening seconds of the fourth song, ""Genesis,"" for the record to reflect any ground he has previously covered. 

And that's the beauty of Mr. Clementine. He does it all on his own terms. When the opening ""Residue"" begins, it's only a matter of time until those drums kick in. Instead, they never do. Benjamin needs no drums to make a tune bounce. The man I've previously referred to as ""alien"" has no preconceived notions of what a song should or should not consist of. The man is on tea and croissants.

And I Have Been implies the past until now. With, theoretically, parts two and three due next year, Clementine keeps the question I've been wondering since 2017 burning: What will be next?