REMEMBERING GEORGE MICHAEL: FAITH (1987)

 This year's Christmas Day marked the fifth anniversary of George Michael's early death. With this post I wanted to pay some sort of tribute . Today I'll focus on his album Faith. It was released on 1987, after Wham's split in 1986 and after having released three successful solo singles: Careless Whisper,  A different corner and the duet with Aretha Franklin, which won a Grammy Award for the Best R&B Performance by a duo or a group.

Those three singles weren't included on the 10 tracks of the album, which made  the project seem a new chapter, like his physical appearance , as he would do with every other album (Older, 1996). All the songs were written and produced by Michael himself, which notices his involvement on the project and his music. 

The album title is the same as the most successful track of the album, Faith. Faith is the perfect blend of rock and roll and pop. With its iconic video, George Michael established himself as a visual artist, having memorable videos for the rest of the singles of the album and creating unforgettable moments in pop culture. This track introduces in a more discreet way the main topic on the record, desire or sexual attraction, that it's more patent from the second track, Father Figure. 

The second piece is not just a dreamy pop banger full of seduction, but a request for love commitment. 

The b-side for the massive hit Faith was 'Hand to Mouth'. This choice was not casual. It is the only social piece on the record. His social conscience (which is appreciated in  Praying for time or Shoot  the dog) makes an important appearance here. The song is a portrait of poverty in America made with care, unveiling the social and racial gap in the country's society and approaching gun violence in a  very relatable way to nowadays. 

The album doesn't forget R&B, jazz and soul influences, that are a big basis for the record and for Michael's music. The album has time for a percussive 80s ballad, One More Try (another number one single of the four the album had), with Michael spreading his wide vocal range and with a gloomy production, increased by the organ. 

There are even classic pop influences on the jazzy Kissing A Fool, which also has a dreamy and soft production. 

As I said the main topic on the album is desire and sex, which is what separated Wham and Michael's music at the time. These tracks are the most danceable of the project. Michael came in his debut talking in a quite explicit way about wanting to have sex in someone in his songs. Of all songs written about wanting to hook up with someone, 'I want your sex' may be one of the most direct ones, but the filthy-talking seems to be just on the chorus, not making a coarse song. 'I want your sex' and 'Hard Day' are truly dance records with some funk feel. 

To finish, Faith is a pop-masterpiece,one of the biggest debut albums of all time (it sold 25 million copies),with an unique pop-R&B blend and an ability to flirt with other genres, which will remain on George Michael's career. The promotion and visuals showed the steps that every popstar must follow (change of image to start a new Era, a defined aesthetic...). Besides the huge commercial success and the expectation for Michael and his solo career, George took a big part on the record, entirely written and produced by him. 

 The record isn't temporary. It remains an example in challenging songwriting, which left a mark in pop music.