Faith was George Michael’s solo album, after he and Andrew Wrigley decided to
call it quits with their widely successful group ’’Wham!’’. Folks back in 1990 weren’t
sure how George Michael could possibly do justice to the demanding role of a solo
artist, but George was no amateur either. Faith soon made music history by topping
the billboard charts and went on to become the highest selling pop album of the year.
It’s record was unfazed for quite a while ever since.
True to it’s name, the album flags of with the title song and it’s lively opening
acoustic guitar riff has probably become one of the most cognizable tunes to this day.
By the 90’s George Michael had evolved a lot...which was a far cry from the original
boyish image he’d adopted during his Wham! days. This half greek american artist
adopted a totally different look with a stubble, a mean biker look with leather
paraphernalia (women crooned after him like never before) . It occurred to everyone
that he was indeed making a statement; that the old George, whom the world
identified as a part of the Wham! duo, had slipped into oblivion forever. He wanted
his own identity. His music evolved as well and there was an element of maturity
which hadn’t been noticed before. The second song ’’Father Figure’’ did justice to the
metamorphosis and became a smash hit. It still remains one of my favorite tracks to
this day. The opening music sequence with the keyboard and the bass jam is superb
and the lyrics are sublime. George’s voice to this day remains unparalleled and he
wrote his songs in a way that would help him to achieve the most out of his unique
voice. The next song, ’’I want your sex’’ was shrouded in controversies. I guess
Michael was proclaiming sexual liberation in a an America split with conflicting
views (just the way it is today).
’’Kissing a fool’’ was a beautiful slow number echoing the sentiments of a jilted lover.
’’Hand to mouth’’ spoke about a woeful tale which shed light on the tough, urban
american life characterized by helplessness and apathy. Listeners would note that
every song of his had a very pertinent theme which was extremely true to life and
which we could actually relate to. The only song which was an exception in the
album was ’’Monkey’’ I found it incredibly funny as well Consider a sampling of the
lyrics
’’why can’t you do it; why can’t you set your monkey free
always givin’ in to it; do you love your monkey or do you love me’’
Hmmm I guess it’s time for me to wind up. Even though this album is more than a
decade old, it seems to be one of those timeless albums that never loses it’s appeal.
In case you are not a seasoned George Michael listener, Faith is a fine way to start.
In the event you are, your collection would not be complete without this album. In
any case, it’s a win-win situation...so go for it.