Kevin Bessey has broken the infamous sophomore slump curse with his latest full-length release, The Patient. In fact, in my opinion, it is significantly better than maybe, his first release (and this is coming from a guy who helped him work on maybe). In the world of creatives, it’s standard to always want our last project to be better than the last. We want to always be projecting upward. We might critique an old work of ours from a decade ago and think, “Wow, I can do a whole lot better than that today.” However, we should remember that with the information and skill we had “at the time”, we should still be proud of what we were able to accomplish then. The key is to just keep getting better. The Patient is a 14 track audio testament that Kevin is on the right path.
The Patient vs. Maybe
If you LOVED maybe, then there’s a chance you might not dig The Patient. On the other side of the coin, if you weren’t so big on maybe, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised by what Kevin has to offer on The Patient. It’s a polarizing contrast from his previous work that might catch you off guard. Where maybe was a simplistic, minimally produced, concept album about love, The Patient is a departure from that in almost every way. This seems to be an intentional goal Kevin sought out for: to not be taken as a one-dimensional artist and to prove his versatility.
Although some of the skeleton ideas for the songs on The Patient were written before or during the writing process of maybe, they don’t seem to share the same realm. The Patient’s songs are more flushed out. They are more produced to full band and mainstream elements. They are dynamic. And, Kevin tightly knits the song structures to match the format of songs that you hear on the radio. In my opinion, Kevin’s voice is better suited for the production decisions he made on this album as well. Another difference from maybe that Kevin made is taking on the challenge to explore topics beyond “love”. He digs deeper. Kevin covers themes such as economic disparity, isolation, self-reflection, guilt, fear of giving up the job he had to pursue music full time, and even his mother’s cancer.
A New Energy
From the first note of the album, Kevin wastes no time in delivering the energy. The first song, “Sometimes I Wonder” kicks right off with a bang. Kevin sequences the album with a lot of versatility as far as genre, song keys, and vibes, another contrast to maybe. He explores new frontiers, including delivering raps.
Throughout the LP, Kevin takes interesting liberties in vocal and production, ideas that work out well. One of my favorites is when he unleashes an emotionally-driven high note-hitting trail off of the word “were” in the choruses of standout track, “You Were.” With its catchy melody and compelling lyrics, “You Were” is one of the best cuts on the album. The way it transitions into a chiller vibe later in the song is another aspect that takes it to the next level. Lead single, “High On the Mountaintops” is another powerful, energetic song that will be stuck in your head shortly after you listen to it.
Self Sufficient
One big factor that is paramount in Kevin’s musical progress was his decision to take a more self-sufficient role in his engineering, recording, mixing, and mastering. As if being a musician isn’t already big shoes to fill, having the dedication to tackle learning the ins and outs of a recording program simultaneously isn’t an easy task. By being self-reliant and not needing to depend as much on others, Kevin is more meticulous with his vision. He also allotted the necessary time to get things more concise, since he wasn’t victim to feeling rushed to make the most of paid for studio time. What results are all new paints to the canvas and in turn a more involved work of art.
The Patient is a solid album that is a fun and enjoyable listen. If you’re not yet convinced, perhaps my Q&A with Kevin below will give you the additional push you need!
Q&A with Kevin Bessey
Q: Why did you title your album The Patient?
A: I titled it The Patient because I wanted the album to be about suffering and waiting. “Patient” is a cool word because is describes both those who are seeing a doctor and those who are waiting or suffering.
Q: There’s the popular idea that an artist has their whole life to write their debut album, but the second one is much harder and is the real testament. Did you experience this? What challenges did you face in creating your sophomore effort?
A: That’s a great question. From a writing perspective, I wrote both albums at the same time. A lot of the songs from The Patient are actually much older than songs from my debut. I treated my first album as more of a learning experience. I figured out what worked for me and what didn’t work for me. This newest album was meant to have a more polished and nuanced production. So, I knew that it had to wait until my skill set matched my vision.
What’s Changed
Q: What did you do differently in your process in creating The Patient compared to your debut, maybe? What different directions did you take?
A: The major differences were in tone and process. The tone of The Patient is a lot darker and more focused on suffering. My debut, was a lot lighter and was more focused on falling in love. While writing The Patient a friend of mine challenged me to not include any love songs. That advice helped me keep a focused direction for the album.
On the first album, I recorded the instruments in a studio and relied primarily on the production talents of others. On this album, I got less direct help on production and instead got more guidance from trusted friends and musicians. It’s ironic that this album is called The Patient. I chose to do the majority of the production, engineering and mixing on my own because I was tired of waiting for others to work on my music. I wanted to have a lot more control over that part of the artistic expression and I wanted to learn that skillset.
Q: The sequence of songs on maybe was very deliberate in being a story. Why did you decide to sequence The Patient the way you did?
A: I sequenced The Patient based on the sequence of a lot of my favorite albums. I started with “Sometimes I Wonder” because it is an upbeat song with a decently fast tempo. Musically and lyrically it represents a transition from my old material to the direction of The Patient. The next two songs are straight bangers. After that, I wanted the album to almost feel like a musical roller coaster that changed genres speeds and tones while staying on the same tracks. The last three songs were meant to bring a sense of hope. “High On The Mountaintops” and “Come On” both give this feeling that there is escape from the suffering. And, then “The Silence” is like the song after everyone shouts encore.
Inspiration and The Future
Q: What is your favorite song on the album and why?
A: That’s such a hard question. I feel like I spent so much time with every song on the album that it’s hard to hear them and choose a favorite. There are a lot of magic moments throughout the album. The transition from the chorus to the bridge section on “You Were” is really cool. The shouting at the end of “Abominations” always gets me going and the bridge on “How Dare” is so epic to me. I don’t have a favorite song. There’s just a collection of favorite moments in songs.
Q: Who and/or what were your inspirations in creating this album?
A: Emotionally, I drew a lot on the suffering that I had experienced or that I’ve witnessed others experience. Lyrically, I got a lot of inspiration from T.S. Elliot, especially his poems “Portrait of A Lady“, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock“. and “The Waste Land“. Sonically, I drew inspiration from a wide variety of artists. To name a few: The Killers, Brand New, Avicii, Kanye West, Dak and Billie Eilish were all inspirations at different points.
Q: Where do you hope The Patient takes you?
A: I hope this album gets me mainstream attention. The Patient has a great quality and that it could really help me develop a following. I have a lot of high hopes for the album. I could definitely see it charting in both pop and alternative charts. And, if a label wants to get involved to push it along in that process of expanding my fan base, I would be interested.
Enjoy Kevin’s album The Patient below!
And buy it here.
Check out another review of The Patient here, and 2018’s review for maybe while you’re at it!