George Michael - Faith
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Free Music Notes for Faith
Free Music Review: Surprisingly awesome after all these years....
Hit: 5 Stars
There have been many times I wanted to get rid of this CD/album, but I never did. I decided to investigate why I didn't get rid of this by breaking out the album again after a long time, and found out I think it's a brilliant album. It's from the late 80's, but it doesn't feel like it. You can still listen to it today and be impressed with the great pop hooks, the good (and sometimes great) lyrics, and the overall production values of it.
The title track is really fun. It's a signature song by Michael, and it's still great. Father Figure is still a brilliant song, with Michael's vocals really cut through you. It's an incredibly powerful song, one of the best he ever recorded, and arguably my favorite of his work. Monkey is an underrated gem here, with another powerful vocal by Michael. It's got a powerful vibe like Father Figure. I Want Your Sex is still quite listenable and it's funny to listen to the song now considering the furor that it caused back in its day. The PMRC, Tipper Gore's old outfit that was going to "clean" up America by getting rid of smutty pop songs like Sex (and others of its ilk), was freaking out over the song. Listening to it and comparing to the vile garbage on TV and rap music, I Want Your Sex is actually a pretty well constructed song and is still cool to listen to. It is also good to note that there isn't any profanity in the song at all. The only "evil" word is SEX.
It's a shame that Michael is known for his tabloid exploits more than his music, as this album showcases his real talent. He's only made a handful of albums after this, but I hope someday he'll return to a real, full time solo career, and not hang out in public lavatories where paparazzi camp out.
Free Music Review: Spectacular Pop Debut
Hit: 5 Stars
George Michael split from Wham! and released his first solo record, "Faith," in 1987. "Faith" was a massive hit, ultimately selling over 10 millions copies in the United States. Even the Grammys embraced George - awarding him with the coveted Album of the Year for "Faith."
A string of terrific singles followed, starting with "I Want Your Sex," which was also included in the movie "Beverly Hills Cop II." The song was considered pretty racy at the time and ended up being banned by many radio stations; nevertheless, it soared all the way to #2 on the Billboard Top 100. The next single was "Faith," which spent an amazing 4 weeks in #1. Powered by a catchy guitar intro, it's become George's signature song, no doubt aided by the memorable video which focused mostly on his rear.
Three subsequent singles also hit #1. "Father Figure" (2 weeks) and "One More Try" (3 weeks) are both atmospheric ballads; whereas "Monkey" (2 weeks) is perhaps the most danceable song on the CD. The final single was the retro-sounding "Kissing a Fool" (#5), which sounds like it could have been recorded by Frank Sinatra three decades earlier.
Ultimately, 6 of the 9 songs (the 11 tracks include a remix of "Hard Day" and an alternate version of "I Want Your Sex") were released as singles! The three other songs on "Faith" are also solid, and "Hard Day" in particular could easily have been a hit. In sum, "Faith" is first-rate 80s pop that stands up remarkably well. Unfortunately, George initiated a prolonged battle with his record company and changed his artistic direction after "Faith." His subsequent records have been more serious and less successful.
Free Music Review: A masterpiece?
Hit: 5 Stars
When Faith first came out, I wouldn't give it the time to listen to it. (I was 21 then) I was of a mentality that real popular music had musicians with long hair, drummers with 10 pound drumsticks, and of course, no synths. My head was up my [butt]! Now that I have grown up a bit, (a tiny bit) I appreciate this recording fully. There is so many different styles. R&B. Pop-dance. Slow-cheek-to-cheek. Gospel. You can clean the house to it or make love to it. This album lends itself freely to what you are in the mood for. Did anybody else do edits like this in 1987? I have to ask, beacuse I wasn't listening then!
I don't listen to much of the pop competition of the time, I still don't find much value in most of it. Somehow, Faith is different and meaningful.
To those that say it sounds like he is in a well, yes, it is kind of over reverbed. But at least it is clean and noise-free with lots of dynamics. This is amazing for a 80's pop recording. Most pop recordings of this time were flat, compressed and dull sounding. Faith is vibrant and polished.
To those that say the bass is recorded too hot, I reccomend a better system. It rocks if you have the gear! This CD is capable of reproducing a seamless frequency response, seismic dynamics, and sweet micro detail. A pop CD that even ardent audiophiles with golden ears can't scoff at.
Sony must have rolled out a prototype A/D for the mastering of this album. A masterpiece? You bet. I don't care what he did in restrooms or how he shakes in his pants. In the studio, he lays it down with true talent.
Free Music Review: The Best Album Ever
Hit: 5 Stars
OK, so maybe not to all people, but in addition to the urban hip of Janet Jackson's "Control" disc, this was THE album of my mid-teens.George Michael was one of the pioneers of the artist as a package. He wrote his own music, produced it, then sang it; after all that, he created catchy, highly stylized music videos (also a strength of Janet's and Madonna's) to present the song the way he envisioned it to be. Many artists of the 80's (and, unsurprisingly, today) stuck to the format of the time, not taking risks and not advancing the art form we call pop music.
George, however, seemed to have an uncanny ability to know what the pop music-buying audiences WOULD want, and created just that.
Faith, as a whole, is a diverse set of musical genres, an obvious reflection of George's appreciation for all types of music. There are few who couldn't recognize almost every song on this album from the first few notes - the guitar on 'Faith,' the synth on 'Father Figure,' the lush piano on 'Kissing a Fool,' and the electronic 'primates' on 'Monkey'.
He stirred controversy when, at the 1988 American Music Awards, he won not only for best Pop vocal, but best R&B album, a move that demonstrated for the first (and, to my knowledge, only) time that white boys CAN have soul.
While his career since has been less impressive from a numbers standpoint, George Michael was and continues to be one of the most talented and engaging songwriters and performers of our time. This, and most of his other material, is timeless.
Free Music Review: Gorgeous George
Hit: 5 Stars
Just received "Faith" this week. LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! It has songs on it I loved when it was first released, and some I've forgotten about. I'm very happy. And those of you, who would like a great follow-up album, I recommend "Patience", just got it too! The hype is well deserved.
Buy It! Buy it! Buy it!
I guess maybe I should explain why I liked "Patience" so much.
Just about all the songs were about love, love for the people of the world, love in his personal life, love for an uncle who died that he never got to know, and his hometown, you name it.
Track #2, "Amazing" has some infectious hooks, nice dance tune. Shows his happiness for a new love in his life, gives the rest of us hope.
Track #3, "John and Elvis Are Dead" ,extremely sad, stark reminder of personal loss, but enjoyable just the same.
Track #4, "Cars and Trains", shows George's sense of humor, same infectious hook style as Track #2.
Did I mention the excellent vocals? I always thought he had a great voice, but was blown away!!!!!! He is much more than a pretty face.
I understand it took him eight years to put this one out. Wow!!!!
For an artist who wants to be taken seriously, you finally got there George. I'd like to thank him personally for this one.
Thanks George.
PS Hope the next album won't take eight. Can't wait.