Patience [PA] - George Michael

I don’t think there is an album that I have eagerly anticipated as much as the new release from George Michael. Having purchased every album that he has ever made, it was a foregone conclusion that I would buy ‘Patience’ as soon as it was released earlier this month. For the past few years George has courted controversy, not least with his ‘toilet episode’ and the release of his last single ‘Shoot the Dog’ received huge criticism from the media, ...
...with the release of this, his fourth solo album.

To coincide with the release of the album, George publicly stated that he would be willing to provide his music on the internet so that his fans could download it all for free, instead of having to buy it from the shops. George seems a genuine sort of guy, but were those words just a huge publicity stunt, coupled with his admission that he smokes marijuana every day to boost his self ... more

I don’t think there is an album that I have eagerly anticipated as much as the new release from George Michael. Having purchased every album that he has ever made, it was a foregone conclusion that I would buy ‘Patience’ as soon as it was released earlier this month. For the past few years George has courted controversy, not least with his ‘toilet episode’ and the release of his last single ‘Shoot the Dog’ received huge criticism from the media, so many presumed he would be taking a huge gamble with the release of this, his fourth solo album.

To coincide with the release of the album, George publicly stated that he would be willing to provide his music on the internet so that his fans could download it all for free, instead of having to buy it from the shops. George seems a genuine sort of guy, but were those words just a huge publicity stunt, coupled with his admission that he smokes marijuana every day to boost his self confidence to sell more of the album?

The album kicks off with the title track ‘Patience’; a ballad with George’s vocals taking the forefront with just a piano for accompaniment. A hugely profound song, George seems to be seeking answers to questions throughout the song, and I have to say it is a strange choice for the opening track as the lyrics and the music never seem to quite gel together.

George delves deep inside his soul and his family history for ‘My Mother had a Brother’, a tribute to his mother’s brother who committed suicide on the day George was born. His uncle was gay, and the fact that George feels he is a reincarnation of his uncle is evident from the lyrics in this ballad, and the song is the first time in George’s career that he has made any reference to his sexuality. The emotion in the lyrics is so powerful and positively heart rending at times.

The album contains three songs relating to the most important relationships in George’s life. ‘Amazing’ is one of those songs that I loved as soon as I heard it. Hints of the old George from the Eighties peek through in the track, which is a tale of a life full of despair, turning to love when someone walked into his life. I presume the song is dedicated to Kenny Goss, George’s long time lover, who came into his life after the death of his former lover. A fantastic track, ‘Amazing’ has a dance rhythm that George brings to life beautifully. ‘American Angel’ is another assertion of George’s love for Kenny, and although this doesn’t stand out as much as ‘Amazing’ on the album, with its slower paced rhythm and the almost corny lyrics at times, the song still works and is a great track to chill out to. It would be interesting to find out what Kenny makes of ‘Please send me someone’, which is dedicated to the great love of George’s life Anselmo Fellepo, who died of AIDS during the latter part of the Nineties. You might expect a ballad for this one, but no, it has a slightly African influence yet fused with a funky beat and the song is a plea for George to find someone he can love as much as he did Anselmo. A bit of a slap in the face for Kenny then! Still, the track works, and I love the rhythmic bongos used which give the song another dimension.

George makes a journey into the world of drugs for the track ‘Cars and Trains’, in which he almost seems to having a pop at himself for his feelings when under the influence of pills and poppers. Although ‘Cars and Trains’ begins as a ballad, it progresses into jazz funk fusion, which George does so well, and questions how the mind is altered when under the influence. The lyrics are pretty shocking if you read through them, but the jazzy beat detracts from the seriousness of them, making this another fine offering for the album.

‘Round Here’ sees George reminiscing nostalgically about his childhood in our great capital, London, and the happiness and fond memories he has of that time in his life shine through. George has a gift for drawing you into his lyrics, and you almost feel you’ve lived his childhood with him, played football in the park with him and his brother, and shared his love for ‘The Specials’ and ‘The Jam’ in their heyday. The reference to the band that made him famous as ‘two little Hitlers’ is not only amusing, but shows that George can make fun of himself in his lyrics and has certainly never taken himself very seriously. A slower track, ‘Round Here’ has a soul influence, with the backing tracks having a Sixties influence.

“So come with me, let me show you where I’ve lived
I want to put my hands in this earth again”

When ‘Shoot the Dog’ was released last year to huge criticism from the public, it didn’t do particularly well in the charts. I know I’m in the minority, but I love it, but will freely admit it’s due to the riff borrowed from ‘Love Action’ by The Human League. Although the song is full of political satire, and takes several swipes at both English and American politicians, I can’t help liking it, and the slightly electro feel to the track never fails to get my toes tapping. For the second time on the album, a riff is borrowed from another artist in the track ‘Flawless (Go to the City)’, a hit for The Ones at the beginning of the millennium. The longest track on the album, at over seven minutes, this is one of my favourites in which George send the message that everything has to be worked for in life, and there is no point sitting around waiting for things to drop into your lap. A boppy dance track, George makes it his own and it can be ranked as one of his great dance releases.

I can’t help thinking that ‘Through’ which is the penultimate track of the album, should really have been the final track as it would have been a great track to end on. George’s vocals are quite simply outstanding in this ballad, and his voice has a haunting edge to it, heaped with emotion, and he admits that no one can take the blame for the mistakes he has made in his life apart from himself. Great stuff.

George has a knack of making me think about his lyrics, even when I’ve only heard the song once. Before I even heard ‘John and Elvis are Dead’, I assumed the song was going to be about John Lennon and Elvis Presley and for all intents and purposes it is, but that’s not the main theme of the song. A ballad, the song tells of a man who has been in a coma for thirty years, and questions the validity of God if such legends have died while he has been asleep. I had to listen to this track a few times before I fell in love with it, as the first time I listened to it, I found it quite hard going, but it is now one of my favourites on the album.

George has freely admitted that his relationship with Kenny Goss is an open one, and ‘Precious Box’ seems to back up those statements, as my interpretation of it is that he is always looking for a little bit of excitement away from his normal life. The song is one that grows on the listener, and I can imagine this will be released as a single sometime in the future. A dance based track, in which the vocals are slightly overshadowed at times by the vocals, the remix possibilities for this are endless.

My outright favourite on the album is ‘Freeek’ which was released some time ago, and has been remixed for its inclusion here. George originally said that the song was a moan about internet photography, but really the lyrics seem to be extolling the virtues of porn rather than damning it. ‘Freeek’ is Georgie the love god at his best and is a fast based dance track, but with a heavy riff. George totally oozes sex throughout the track, which is riddled with sexual references and promises that after a night with him, you won’t need anyone else. If only……………………well a girl can dream.

“I’ll be your sexual freak (freak), of the week , I’ll be your inspirational brother (sister), yo momma can’t you see
I’ll be your sexual freak of the week, I’ll be your educational lover, your one f**k fantasy”

Yes, there are strains of ‘Older’ and ‘Listen without Prejudice’ in this album although George seems to have matured and the seventy minutes of ‘Patience’ reeks of sophistication. George is as comfortable with the fast paced dance tracks riddled with sexual innuendoes, as much as his tried and tested ballads, and you have to hand it to him, this man has style, panache and a presence that few artists can rival.

Consider this………In the eighteen years since George left the days of Wham! Behind, he has made just five solo albums. His style has changed over the years, almost as if he were a caterpillar metamorphosing into a butterfly. He has achieved something that few can in his career and has blossomed from a teeny pop star into a respected, mature songwriter. Few singers could court controversy and public ridicule, but survive the backlash and public slatings that have become almost normal to George, yet he has. Not only that, he has made the perfect comeback album which is a slap in the face for all his critics. Don’t leave it so long next time George.
 

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