Patience

In the release run-up, George Michael said 2004’s Patience would be his last physical album in the wake of file-sharing; it did sadly prove to be his final studio album overall, almost serving as a marker for how he concentrated on singles for the most part in the 21st century. Two 2002 singles, the stomping “Freeek!” and his moody, sharp slam on Tony Blair’s Iraq War stances in “Shoot the Dog,” appeared; on a newer front Patience served up polite bangers like “Flawless” and “Precious Box” along with strong ballads like “John and Elvis Are Dead” and “Through.”