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Welcome back, George!
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After a long hiatus, George Michael makes a comeback in the music scene, sporting newfound attitude and energy
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THE WAIT is finally over. After a `greatest hits' album called Ladies and Gentleman — The Best of George Michael, the man literally disappeared from the music scene for quite some time — only to make a surprise comeback with a new album titled Patience, which hit stores across the globe on March 16, 2004. "I've put a lot of feeling and personal experiences over the last eight years into this album. Hence, I thought of Patience as the title," says Michael.
Starting his singing career in the mid-1980s as part of the famous pop-duo Wham! that gave us legendary anthems like "Wake Me Up before You Go Go" and "Careless Whispers", he went solo in 1988 with Faith, an album that bagged quite a few prestigious awards including the Best Album Grammy and the American Music Award in the favourite male artiste and favourite album (Soul R&B) categories. The Ladies and Gentlemen album went on to become one of the hottest selling compilation albums in India.
Like any popular music star, Michael too, hasn't been spared the scandals and rumours, which are synonymous with the music industry. The famous tiff in 1993 with his music company and later the revival of his contact with the same company is notably one of the major artiste-music company mahayudhs in recent times.
His new album Patience (Sony Music; cassette; Rs. 100) reflects a welcome change in energy levels, while maintaining the trademark George Michael-feel of music. "I've stuck to my original music, but have added some unique rhythms to create a new, modern sound," says Michael. If one digs deep into his musical style, it is evident that his range is dominant in two distinct areas — one being the `slow and smooth' R&B genre of music, and the other being a unique combination of up-tempo grooves and the same smooth vocals (songs like "Too Funky" and "Fastlove" fall into this category). With Patience, he blends the two together to provide a pleasant masala of energy and emotions, taking some help from his producer Johnny Douglas, who has contributed to the themes and lyrics.
The first single, "Amazing" is uptempo, but smooth. Sporting an infectious rhythm and a hummable tune, it features a light, feel-good mood, while tracks such as "John and Elvis Are Dead" and "Shoot The Dog" are typical examples of tracks where Michael has improvised with his music, but maintains his trademark sounds. "Flawless (Go To The City)" deserves special mentions as it features parts of the popular club song with the same name by "The Ones" and blends them with Michael's vocals. A single released couple of years back called "Freeek" is featured in its remixed version.
To sum up, Patience is a George Michael album that sports more josh and energy — and as usual, catchy rhythms and hummable tunes.
A. VISHNU
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