Older

by

George Michael

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For me, this is one of those albums that I will absolutely never tire of. So you didn't think a white boy could sing passionate stately soul music with the best of 'em? Well, you're sadly mistaken. George Michael is an incredibly-underrated singer and musician and he tapped something special when he pieced this fine work together. It was a six-year wait between his greatly-underappreciated 'Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1' and this album, and when it finally dropped there was a lot of skepticism going around about whether he could still deliver. But, the fact is, Michael is a truly gifted singer and musician, who has only grown better and better over time. The songs all have a clear sound and a nice emotional feel, whether it is a slower song or a laid-back groove. The music holds down a nice neutral ground between R&B, jazz, and dance, and he shows true mastery of everything.

There is no doubt that this is his most deeply personal and heartfelt songwriting here. Most of the songs are ballads or soft, mid-tempo numbers and Michael pours every bit of emotion he can surmise into these songs. The most somber song on the album is the opening track 'Jesus to a Child', a quiet reflection on love lost and the painful day-by-day struggle to come to grips with it. Interestingly enough, it was chosen as the first single. 'Fastlove' is a bouncy disco number about getting hot and bothered with a girl and getting her in bed for a quickie just for the sake of it (well, that's the vibe I got from it, whoever he wants to get into bed with is his business, na'mean?). The title track 'Older' is a nice, melancholy number that serves as the album's theme - letting go, moving on, and growing older, as the title suggests. The next song 'Spinning the Wheel' is one I've recently re-discovered due to some relationship troubles I've been going through. The way he words and phrases this number is just perfect to me. Just listen to it. The instrumentation on the song is excellent as well, with a complete horn section over the midtempo percussion and keyboards, it is effortlessly funky, but clean and polished enough to flow well with the album. Next comes one of my favorite songs 'It Doesn't Really Matter', another song coping with the pain of losing your one and only love. With its sparse percussion and organ playing, this is the kind of song I'd like to hear in an after-hours jazz club, going down hard with a shot of whiskey. It has such a laid-back feel and relaxed aura that I wouldn't be surprised if Michael recorded the song while reclining on a couch (something Marvin Gaye was known for doing to create a relaxed atmosphere in the recording studio). The same goes for 'To Be Forgiven' and 'Move On' both songs that concern repentence and redemption, and feature jazz-like instrumentation that border closely on easy listening of the Sinatra standard, except that Michael's voice has so much soul, it stands on it's own. And, in spite of the dour subject matter, both songs (particularly 'Move On') are such catchy, finger-snapping grooves in the basslines and jazzy horn interjections, they could appeal to just about anyone and any mood. Finally, there is 'You Have Been Loved' which basically closes the album and it is one of the most beautifully-written songs on the entire album. I don't know how to explain it except to say that it touches the soul, no matter how ravaged you may feel inside because of the pain of life, there is relief. And there is healing. That's the note this album concludes on: Healing of the mind, body and soul.

This album, as well as 'Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1', really opened my eyes to this man's range as a writer, singer, and musician and how much he'd matured musically and grown as an artist since the sex-filled youthful energy of his late '80s work (which I was never a big fan of). Much to my dismay, 'Older' was not well-received by critics or much of the public in the United States when it was first released for reasons I'm not really sure of (aren't most critics arrogant snobs anyways?). Eventually, though, time serves great art. And, the more time goes by, the more this work stands on its own. It's style, class and elegance is something sorely-missing from a lot of singers nowadays. This is by far Michael's best album ever.

It took six years for George Michael to release his follow-up to 1990's brilliant-yet-misunderstood LISTEN WITHOUT PREJUDICE and to say that this album was highly anticipated by Michael's loyal fan base is a grave understatement. When OLDER (Michael's one and only release on the Dreamworks label in the US) did finally hit stores, it was met with an extremely mixed reaction among fans and critics. The album was successful, hitting #6 in the US and #1 in the UK, and selling a few million copies worldwide, but it still divides listeners almost evenly to this day. There are many who consider the album to be a mature, adult pop recording, while an almost equal number tend to view the disc as a pompous, bloated ego-trip from an undeniably talented musician who takes himself way too seriously. When listening to the album objectionably, it seems that both groups are right - Older is both an complex album of musical mastery AND a somewhat misguided attempt by a gifted pop star trying too hard to make a "serious" recording.

George Michael is an artist who has never received his proper due from music critics or the general public, and I can understand why he would make such a obvious stab for artistic respect. As a result, OLDER is an almost joyless recording, with two brilliant dance cuts "Fast Love" (#7 US, #1 UK) and "Star People" (#2 UK) thrown in to round things out. That would not be a problem if the record was as musically engaging from beginning to end as it is on a handful of tracks. The jazzy ballads "Jesus to a Child" (#6 US, #1 UK), "You Have Been Loved" (#2 UK), and the title track (#2 UK) are three of Michael's loveliest compositions, and if the rest of the album was as strong as the these tracks, then maybe the album really would have finally earned Michael the respect he deserves. Unfortunately, none of the remaining songs have melodies that truly stand out, which leaves the record sounding somewhat samey and occasionally dull. It always sounds good and professional, but isn't always memorable. As it is, OLDER is a good record, but not a masterpiece.