THE TERM HEARD most about the relationship between George Michael fans and his
music is “soundtrack.” From “Faith” to “Older,” the
gay singer has had a way of connecting with listeners that helped shape and define
periods in their lives.
“Faith” gave high-schoolers an entrée into sexuality. And
for many, “Listen Without Prejudice, Volume One” became the seminal
soundtrack to the next 14 years.
On the back of the “Patience” cover, Michael concludes his thanks
by offering his appreciation to fans.
“I would like to thank the most patient audience in the history of pop
music, for waiting. Again,” he writes.
It might be a stretch, but not much of one. “Older” offered the
hits “Fast Love” and “Jesus To A Child,” and two other
albums offered reflections of his past music and covers of other songs of the
last century, but not since 1990’s “Prejudice” has Michael
so clearly had something to say.
It’s been a confusing 14 years for an artist who had to deal with being
outed in such a humiliating way (arrested for soliciting in a public restroom)
and battles with his labels Sony and then DreamWorks SKG.
Michael has clearly emerged stronger with lessons learned as well as a new
muse.
Like no album since the dynamic “Faith,” he spreads his wings
on “Patience,” which offers one of Michael’s widest ranges
yet of music, from instrumental to heartfelt love song and upbeat dance.
FANS OF “PREJUDICE” will recognize the lyrical mastery in the
title track, which is revisited in the last track sans lyrics, similar to Michael’s
1990 release “Waiting For That Day.”
The track and the album also delve deeply into his fascination with childhood.
A theme long trod upon in Michael’s music, the album’s back cover
even shows two boys of different races staring at one another.
Michael’s excursions into childhood in this album, as in the past, are
also tied tightly to his themes of loss.
Perhaps most importantly, Michael is also openly and madly in love with a
man these days. Love and sex have been the themes of many of his previous songs,
but never have they been so intimate as they are on “American Angel,” which
he dedicates to “a tasty Texan geezer.”
The song is, at its core, an ode to his lover, and Michael shares deep appreciation
for the man who “stopped to wipe away my tears and you stayed forever
and more.”
The singer’s vulnerability comes through in a hint of social commentary
as well as a simultaneous offer of hope for American foreign policies: “My
American Angel, he doesn’t want to fight (doesn’t need to fight);
my U.S. of Angel, holds me in the dead of night.”
Michael also satisfies fans on the dance floor. “Flawless (Go To The
City)” pays homage to the disco hits of the ‘70s without relying
too heavily on the sounds of the neo-disco tracks that have come from other
pop stars in the last few years. If he didn’t intend this to be played
upon the entrance of every drag queen around the world, then I’m gayer
than he is.
If buyers go for the European import of the album, “Shoot The Dog,” a
sample from Human League’s “Love Action” is a catchy anthem
that will remind the listener of Robbie Williams’ “Rock DJ,” another
hit from a British pop star.
Whether record buyers decide that “Patience” was worth the wait,
the album definitely more than makes up for lost time.
