Review Summary: Against all the troubles in his personal life, 'Patience' provides the same quality standards we've come to expect from George Michael and stands as an excellent conclusion to the main body of his works.
In spite of the fact
Patience was made during George Michael’s infamous tabloid years, the album itself doesn’t show an iota of creative deterioration – even next to its impeccable predecessors. This should come as a surprise considering what was going on at the time of the album’s creation, but in hindsight – when you gauge the calibre of the man’s skills – it’s a testament to his omnipotent craftsmanship. For those who aren’t privy to George’s antics in the early 00s, he was susceptible to a lot of negative press coverage during that time (although it has to be said, he didn’t make it easy for himself). From his dependency on marijuana, which led to numerous reckless driving violations and thus intensifying his battle with the papers, to his sexuality – or rather the ambiguity which shrouded the topic at hand. George Michael was clearly homosexual, but the introverted nature of his personal life meant that he wouldn’t confirm the rumours, a philosophy he ran with as far back as the 80s. This long-kept secret was eventually exposed however, when he was caught cottaging in a public toilet with another man in April of 1998. George Michael was an extremely generous, humble and benevolent man, but at the turn of the century he was swimming in decadence and struggling to cope with the grind of everyday life; this ended up forming a paradigm shift on not only his personal life but public perception and his career.
His relevancy was also seeing a decline, which was indicative of the lacklustre reception two of
Patience’s songs received. “Freeek!” (as it was initially called upon its release) and “Shoot the Dog” saw drastic shifts into very different playing fields for George Michael. Despite the fact both songs are praised by fan consensus these days, “Freeek!”’s nightclub-thumping electronics and futuristic (Bladerunner-meets-bondage) aesthetics, and “Shoot the Dog”’s political attack on the Bush-Blair administrations ended up falling flat with audiences at the time. Regardless of the indifferent impact both songs had at the time, it forced Michael to make an internal assessment on where he was going sonically. Cause and effect,
Patience ends up being a compromise to his own artistic itches and what the fans want to hear;
Older 2.0 was never going to happen, but there are large carry-overs from that album, as well as nods to the likes of
Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1. Album closer “Through” is a perfectly performed send-off for the album and hears George delivering one of his most emotionally charged and heartfelt vocal performances ever recorded. It’s a song of self-reflection, self-worth and debated turmoil on whether he should give it all up entirely as he closes the song – and unbeknown to him at the time, his last album – with
“I think I’m through, I think I’m through, I think I am, I know I am…”. Effectively backed by a stripped and raw production, the piece hearkens back to a sound not too dissimilar to that of
Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1, and really drives the emotional trajectory to the forefront of the song.
Like
Older, the album starts out with a melancholic introduction – a musing of God’s place in a world so preoccupied and surrounded by money and greed. It’s the signature duality George is known for: pessimistic subject matter being separated by optimistic flashes of light that shun the darkness away. This segues into “Amazing”, the inverse of everything
Older introduces with its first two songs, as George affirms his love for Kenny Ross, his then-partner who helped him through a lot of turbulent times. The same upbeat funk template as “Fastlove” is about where the similarities end, however, as there’s a much more meaningful message attached to “Amazing” as opposed to the disposable sex he was yearning for, in the hope it would bury the pain of Anselmo Feleppa’s death. In a nutshell,
Patience takes all of the jazz and soul from
Older and adds a modern electronic spin on the compositions – be it the bleating synthetic whines on “Cars And Trains”, or the little electronic licks that are scattered around “Round Here”, they all add a different dimension and outlook to how George typically takes his smooth, sombre compositions.
As a result, the biggest praises I can give the album is that its focus on electronics is what brings such a strong cohesion and distinct presentation to the LP. No matter how diverse or different the songs get, there’s always
that same feeling attached to the tracks, making everything feel a part of a sprawling whole than a scattershot of fragmented ideas. Even with the brazenly different “Shoot the Dog”, I can completely appreciate the risk and even consider it a worthy highlight here. At the same time, I can see why it was a confusing track to digest at the time, at least from a vocal standpoint, anyway, as it rarely reveals George’s warm, smooth melodies as the track cruises through lo-fi and dirty croons over a seedy backdrop. The same goes for “Freeek! ‘04”, which goes down a similar route vocally, but the root of its enjoyment comes from ensuring it is catchy and progressive, yet familiar. And that’s the secret to making it work. George Michael was an artist that provided quality over quantity, and this album is absolutely no different. The electronic integration here is what gives it its character and solidifies its personality with George’s signature DNA. It’s what makes songs like “Flawless” so damn memorable, and I can recall “Flawless” being a major hit at the time, if only for its electronics and aesthetic choices. There are few artists out there that hold a portfolio as well-nurtured and crafted as George Michael's. Given the rocky mindset he had at the time of recording, it’s amazing
Patience turned out as well as it did. But, as with all his albums,
Patience upholds the same strides for perfection, and this unintentionally final album delivers on all his artistic standards whilst pushing him forward.
FORMAT//EDITIONS: CD/̶/̶D̶I̶G̶I̶T̶A̶L̶/̶/̶
PACKAGING: Standard jewel case.
SPECIAL EDITION BONUSES: N/A
ALBUM STREAM//PURCHASE: https://www.georgemichael.com/
