George Michael

Patience

Patience? I'm losing mine.

Review Score:

(6/10)
For the better part of a decade George Michael seems to have been living in a fantasy world where he's the resident piano-bar crooner at an all-gay resort on Mykonos and occasionally wanders down to the disco for a Bacardi Breezer and a spot of DJ-ing. "Patience" is more of the same. Sometimes it works brilliantly: "My Mother Had A Brother" combines an original subject and honest lyrics with a strong vocal and an intelligently restrained arrangement; the much-maligned "Freeek!" is actually a fun-filled paean to Internet porn and parental hypocrisy; while "Amazing" is a perfect radio-pop celebration of the redemptive power of love. These tracks are solid and make the most of George's broad talents. The rest is weak: tinny, repetitive and far too percussive - or else meandering and hookless - it's the kind of studied, sampled, over-mixed fare you might build on your Mac at home. It's also often hampered by the irritating, whispery vocal style George mistakenly seems to think makes the best of his extraordinary voice these days. He has one of the best in the business, and once upon a time he used it - which is why his work with Wham! and his early solo efforts ("Faith" and "Listen Without Prejudice") are still far more listenable today than anything he's done since. He hasn't topped the "Careless Whisper" vocal yet. Not only is his more recent work vocally disappointing, it suffers from a blight afflicting a lot of gay-male art: the desire to illuminate something for the audience is overwhelmed by the desire to be professionally lit. The point is lost in the pose. Sure, "Patience" is full of lyrics about love, life, death and politics. But I don't quite buy it. The heart is on the sleeve, but it's a too-pretty silk one with a tszujed French cuff.

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