TwentyFive | George Michael | A fascinating career retrospective with ups and downs

TwentyFive | George Michael | The King of European Pop/R&B

popular music:

TwentyFive

	TwentyFive George Michael Sony, 2006 average customer review:based on 18 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

A fascinating career retrospective with ups and downs

George Michael celebrates 25 years in the industry with the release of greatest hits compilation "Twenty Five", a two or three-CD package that takes in everything from Wham! hits to the "Faith " era and his most recent material (depending on how long you want to spend with him).

No matter what you might think of him in terms of his media depiction, George Michael remains one of the most successful and prolific artists of our generation, and an iconic music industry figure since the 1980s.

He has been a solo star for over 20 years, during which time he has achieved international success and sold over 85 million albums worldwide. There have also been six US No.1 singles, 11 British No.1s and the title of "most played artist on British radio" in the past 20 years.

Of the two formats of "Twenty Five", the 3CD version is arguably the most rewarding, given that the third CD features some rarer tracks, the occasional cover and a solid version of "Brother Can You Spare A Dime?" that was recorded as part of Pavarotti and friends. It's mostly for the die-hard fans but succeeds in showcasing a side to George Michael that isn't always featured on the radio.

The remaining two CDs are packed with some fairly obvious choices - the best of which pick themselves. For the shamelessly nostalgic, there's the cheesy Wham! hits "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", which has to be filed under 'so bad, it's fun' and the equally shameless "Freedom" (which those of a certain generation will probably remember singing or bopping along to).

"Last Christmas" and "Careless Whispe"r also feature (as they do at countless wedding ceremonies).

Early solo material such as the breezy pop classic "Faith" still sound fresh today and retain a timeless quality. "Faith", in particular, is arguably one of George Michael's finest creations and is similar in feel-good value to U2's "Desire" or OutKast's more recent "Hey Ya" - ie, no matter how many times you hear it, you'll still feel like dancing.

The deeper and more sombre style of George Michael is best exemplified in heartfelt songs such as "Father Figure" and J"esus To A Child", while there's a brilliant reworking of "Heal The Pain" which is performed with Paul McCartney (and never has a song title seemed so appropriate!).

And efforts like "Too Funky" and "Freeek" capably show how the artist has consistently been able to mix the ballads with funkier offerings that ensure he retains a place on the dancefloor.

But not everything George Michael has done - or still does - reaches such high standards. In fact, some tracks are downright grating. Whether it's over-earnest and even drippy ballads such as "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" (with Elton John) or new track "This Is Not Real Love", a wretched, ponderous duet with ex-Sugababe Mutya Buena, they seem to be striving a little too hard to pull at your emotions.

On the other side of the coin, "Flawless" is a fairly non-descript pop offering that is bland in the same way that so many chart hits are - it feels like a desperate attempt to appeal to younger listeners that marked a lowpoint in his career.

That said, there's still plenty to appeal to his diehard fanbase, or even more recent fans, on "Twenty Five", making this career retrospective a fascinating journey that serves to show why George Michael has remained at the top of his profession for so long.

for more information click here

The King of European Pop/R&B

This is a brilliant and complete hits compilation of George Michael. It contains 2 cds, (even though there also are a version for the most fanatics with 3 cds - one cd for odd extra songs, and other DVD version (2 dvds) for watch him in live).
Well then, he had launched in his solo career another Greatest hits double-album "Ladies and Gentlemen, the best of George Michael", eight years ago, but this is a better choice to get the best stuff of George Michael, because this one summarise the songs he has done next and also contains Wham! songs (the former duet where he was the frontman and the lead singer but his mate Andrew was the background singer, played the guitar and written along to him). Wham! are great, there are missing songs as: I'm your man, Club Tropicana, A different corner (accredited to George Michael solo), etc; but there's no complains, the songs which appears here: "Wake me up before you go-go", "Last Christmas", "Freedom" and "Everything she wants" are the best Wham! songs ever and he have to make a summarise of the 25 years in the music world (so the album is called "Twenty Five", although actually 25 years ago he wasn't in the scene yet, but he was working and preparing to launching with Wham!).
But if you want to listen to more Wham! songs, the duet has got several Greatest Hits compilations.

Also I want to say it's a good way what he has done dividing in one cd the ballads and in the other the upbeat and fast songs.

Always as a marketing strategy there are hits missing, I never don't like that so "I want your sex" isn't here (and neither in the last hits compilation, where there appeared only the part II of the song. What a pitty!). You can't either find the jazz-swing ballad "Kissing a fool" of Faith. But except for this and which this compilation is a double album - perhaps it may be a bit longer as a first George Michael purchase, He could have released the last time "Ladies and Gentlemen.. as a single album of just a cd...this was the main mistake I think"-, anyway I love Greatest hits and listen to the best of an artist or group. Well done George!.
This album contains unreleased songs and nowadays new singles, like "An eassier affair", and for example a stunning duet with Paul McCartney of the song "Heal the pain" (originally single from "Listen withput prejudice Vol. I"), and the solo hits: Faith, Careless whisper, One more try, Freedom '90, Outside, etc. All of them are well worth it.

If you love the personal George Michael's voice you can also enjoy to the singer Christian Burns, involved as the lead singer from Inhaler band, and former BBMak member. He has a voice in that style more or less of the earlier George (I think the best and gold stage): 80's.

for more information click here

Wham! Bam! Thank you George

This album covers twenty five years of the starred and scarred career of one of the best known English singer/songwriters of his generation. It contains most, but not all, of his greatest hits, including his best selling "Faith", his early mega-hits as a half of Wham! as well as three brand new songs.

The lead single is one of the new songs "An Easier Affair", the other two being "This Is Not Real Love" with Mutya Buena (a former Sugababe) and "Heal the Pain" with Sir Paul McCartney. Of the new ones, my pick is the McCartney track, which seems head and shoulders over the other two.

The tracks that I enjoyed hearing again were the duets - "As" with Mary J. Blige and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" with Sir Elton John - plus "Father Figure", "Faith" and of course "Careless Whisper".

From "Careless Whisper" to "Amazing", this is a great addition to any pop music collection, putting most of your favorite George hits in one "basket".

Amanda Richards, November 20, 2006

for more information click here

reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4

products you might be interested in