Listen Without Prejudice, Volume 1

3.5

Nothing special on here, not bad enough for a one star but nothing memorable enough for a 3 or higher

I was honestly incredibly surprised with how good Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (of 1) turned out to be. George Michael was originally another artist that i would frequently get confused with Michael Jackson when i was younger. But as i have grown older, i now see the differentiation between the two quite clearly. The main thing that this album has going for it is it's absolutely excellent production. It genuinely sounds crystal clear and quite expensive. Plus a lot of the songs here could be either incredibly relaxing or incredibly catchy. There were a few songs that were a bit forgettable but other than that, this is an absolutely great album.
Best Song: Freedom! '90
Worst Song: Something to Save

Started off strong but went downhill quickly

Great voice 

Great songwriter
Sad loss

There are a lot of things to like here. This seems to be a more serious version of George Michael - unfortunately it's also a version that I find a lot less interesting.

One of those artists where I find the popularity UTTERLY AND TOTALLY baffling. I mean, if mediocre "white man sings soul" is your thing then great, you go for it, you'll probably not understand my appreciation for Rammstein either.

tldr : there's nothing close to "Young Guns" here

Okay, this was a great surprise - I heard the initial drums and went "oh good another 80s album"... and by the end said to myself holy cow that was actually really really good! :) I know some people are really die-hard fans and I can get why, really good songwriting and a heck of a voice too! :) Happy times to be a me. :)

It’s okay. He was definitely trying to make a new, more epic kind of pop record. I appreciate the big swing. But there was nothing as memorable here as the best tracks on the previous record.

It’s not good. But it just faded into the background for me to the point I sort of forgot it was on at all.

It's a bit uneven. There are plenty of songs that are actually very good - 4 star material. Songs that sound fresh and unique and really stand up 30 years later.

Then there are songs that you can just feel the 80s dripping off of them, Like Soul Free. Overall, I'd say it's a solid 3 stars. I can recognize the quality without wanting to ever hear it again.

Really enjoyed this

I really wanted to like this one, but a lot of these songs dragged for me. There were a couple good ones, but the majority of this album just seemed like meh. Favorites were Freedom! ‘90 and Waiting For That Day.

I prefer funny, poppy, making-videos-to-troll-the-LAPD George Michael to this version that’s trying a bit too hard to be a serious artist. He can’t totally suppress those pop instincts though, so Freedom 90 is a banger.

Freedom is good. Cowboys And Angels is a bedroom smoker, though it feels maybe a little too soft to convey a real emotional depth about sorrow. In general, this feels too saccharine, too flabby, and just not my speed.

Not a bad album, but it's another instance of how one fucking phenomenal song does not a good album make. This album has Freedom! '90 on it, which is a certified banger, but the rest of the album is fine, but nothing to write home about.

Favourite songs: Freedom! '90, Soul Free, Heal the World, They Won't Go When I Go

Least favourite songs: Praying for Time

3/5

The first two tracks here are amazing, and "Freedom" is one of my favourite songs ever, just a shame that Robbie Williams massacred it. The rest of the tracks wear a little thin at times, but the most astonishing thing here is just how incredibly human and fragile George Michael comes across, despite that heartbreakingly powerful voice. Very much missed.

Freedom is one of the better George Michael songs and Soul Free was alright too. What an absolute slog to get through the rest of it though. The songs are way too boring, way too long and completely uninteresting to me. More than any other album I was waiting for this to be over.

A middling poprock album. I'll give George props for mixing up the styles, though his vocals came off very airy and weak sometimes. Didn't overstay it's welcome but wasn't the best while it was on. 3/5.

Of course Gearge Michael appeared in my playlists at the time. However, his music was always a little too sweet and too pop for me. So I didn't have particularly high expectations when I was presented with this album as part of this project. But I found the first track surprisingly good. It also sounded familiar to me. I remembered Freedom '90 very well and I liked it again after a long time.
This album and George Michael will not be in my daily stream. But it was nice to listen to this album.
3/5