George Michael
Faith

A man on the cover smelling his own armpit. Long beard but not too much, meticulously groomed. Earring with an attached crucifix. Ray-Ban glasses. A jacket in fonzie-vintage style. A name, George Michael, Giorgio Michele, a stage name mixing Boy George and Pino Daniele. Five aligned symbols perhaps representing the artist's name, like Led Zeppelin IV. You are looking at one of the greatest living icons of the '80s.

Of Cypriot descent, Georgius Kyriacos Panayiotou (perhaps a translation of "paninaro" in Greek) realized as a teenager that the destiny of the nearly compatriot Cat Stevens (Islamic conversion excluded) was in his veins. While working at his parent's restaurant in the suburbs of London, he invented the job of DJ, alternating it with waiting tables. He brought home records to work, Marvin Gaye, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and between courses, he put on headphones to entertain the lively patrons of the venue. He wrote songs on buses, at school, and in the meantime, met Andrew Ridgeley, yes, the magnificent prototype of the 883's blond guy. The two formed their first group in high school, the Executives, where George wrote, sang, and played the tracks. Andrew limited himself to playing guitar and doing some backing vocals (in playback). They would become the "Wham!" within months, kings of the early '80s dance-pop. Only Duran and Spandau seemed to compete with the mini-group's commercial growth. With "Make It Big" (1984) and gigantic hits like "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" and "Last Christmas," they became a top-tier phenomenon. Moreover, Giorgio didn't miss a chance to demonstrate his talent, participating in the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas" (yes, he had a Christmas craze), at "Live Aid," and collaborating with idols like Aretha Franklin and Elton John (George sings on "Ice On Fire," Elton played in "Music from the Edge of Heaven" and also gave him his first lessons on good gay sex).

In 1986, at the height of fanaticism for the new boy-band, the two decided to dissolve the company after the memorable tour in China (the first Westerners to do it, no big deal) and the triumphant farewell concert at Wembley in front of more than 200,000 souls. While Andrew rightly disappeared quickly into nowhere after a couple of unlistenable attempts at a music career, George began his ascent to the pop Olympus. They opted for a striking change of image, making George even more commercially appealing and as a sex symbol, crafting a look that appeared more adult and extraordinarily successful. What the Spears, the Aguileras, the Ricky Martins of the situation attempt every three years was realized here with meticulous study. Gone were the legendary t-shirts with the slogan "Choose Life," the long bleached hair, and Miami Vice suits; we have before us a prototype of a neo-Elvis, rugged, terribly masculine to the point of kitsch, cowboy boots with steel toes, the worn jeans swaggering incessantly. This is the icon presented in this solo debut, titled "Faith," in the series "have faith."
From the sales, which made it one of the decade's greatest best-sellers, second only to Thriller and nearly tied with Purple Rain, the message was fully embraced. The album begins with a distant church organ majestically (at least it tries) tracing the refrain of "Freedom," a retro-soul melody that was the duo's last great hit (later famously plagiarized by the Gallagher brothers). And here the pop mass begins. Abruptly, the notes are interrupted by the arrival of a stark country guitar set against the singer's voice, as scratchy and aggressive as ever, and a syncopated and genuine rhythm giving the impression of a tribute to old-time rock'n'roll.
As if to say, thirty years after the king of Memphis, the new prophet of light music has arrived. Ultimately, George Michael didn't stray far from this dream, carefully crafting and with great commitment the turn that was to lead the promising 24-year-old towards adulthood. In fact, the artist in question, despite the myriad ambiguities, distractions, and insecurities he floundered in over the following years, was and remains a pop genius. Not only because one can't call otherwise someone who writes songs as good as "Careless Whisper" at 14, but for the air of novelty and creative cockiness he brought in those years commercially dominated by people like Nick Kamen, various Isle Bonites, burst Bangles, and perhaps dashing boys like Den Harrow.

Michael's strength lies not only in the explosive and accurate image he presents but in the MUSIC. His genius shines in his extraordinary ability to synthesize all the valid elements of the latest decades' trends, stored in a young and imaginative mind that knows how to reinterpret and revitalize in a personal and superbly accessible style soul, synth-pop, r'n'r, the softest funk, folk, beatlesque rock and more. Everything is filtered into a dance-pop made to be used but not consumed nor forgotten. It's the demonstration of the art of producing songs meant to be sold a lot, everywhere, quickly, but also for a long time. "Faith" shows us a diverse talent, revolutionizing the trends of the record market, offering, with a D'Annunzio touch, always the best product, the one that's ahead, the avant-garde for the consumer. "I Want Your Sex," proposed in its parts I, II, or III, is a symbol: from the prehistory of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (Beatles) or "Let's Spend The Night Together" (Rolling Stones) we've practically arrived at "Dammela/o." George rewrites the conventions of pop with an anthem to the most immediate and pleasurable sexuality, a "5 Maggio" of human arousal. The lyrics are elementary but flow like a charm, simple but apt. And the voice. George Michael, undeniably, has one of the most beautiful, warm, expressive voices ever recorded. It's powerful, impetuous, inviting, skillfully engaging and attracting both female and male audiences (apparently even too much). It's the perfect voice to send soaring to the top of the charts, but also ideal for the chicest extravagance. Here, for example, he astonishes us with what might be one of the most beautiful songs on the album, "Kissing A Fool." Perhaps it's just an exercise in style, a divertissement, but who would have been capable of inserting a flawless jazz-swing gem into an album like this? And yet everything sounds flawless, revisited millions of times, choirs, guitars, handclaps, drums, Michael samples himself infinitely, becoming a curious and inventive multi-instrumentalist granted full autonomy over the final result.
And it couldn't be otherwise: "Faith" is the dream of every crafty producer, every record company, every MTV, but above all, every gourmet of "pure pop".