•
Rating:
Sooner or later, it seems everyone has to try it, the feeling of having - even thanks to signals not necessarily abrupt or traumatic - turned the page, closed with a past felt as suffocating and now alien; and turning towards a future laden with hopes and uncertainties, but above all towards a new, entirely novel way of perceiving reality and the very sense of one's existence, well, this leap can take place thanks to a dear presence as much as reaching a new shore or even to solitude itself, a valuable advisor often too neglected.
It seems George Michael knows something about this, as in the not so distant 1996, he shrugged off in one go, and definitively, the burdensome and decidedly out-of-place role of a teenage heartthrob. A purpose whose nobility and truth had already been confirmed by the warning with which the artist titled his middle effort, the splendid "Listen Without Prejudice" which, upon its release in 1990, surprised quite a bit the professionals of the Greek-origin artist's circle. Refined, engaging pop, far from being soppy ("Praying For Time"), fresh rhythms still capable of setting a standard ("Freedom '90", "Soul Free"), intense reinterpretations of forgotten gems (chilling "They Won't Go When I Go", the first in a long series of covers from Stevie Wonder), a dangerous inclination for atmospheric pop-jazz (immense "Cowboys And Angels") which shortly after would become the very chromosome of Michael's art - these are the cards revealed by a player on whom few would have bet, but whom time has definitely rewarded.
And in the wake of a recently archived personal event, "Older" (1996) takes shape, a not final but perhaps unmatched outcome of a difficult artistic-existential journey worthy of respect and admiration like few others. The man who whispers in these grooves certainly does not need to prove the maturity and intensity of his inspiration.
Just a simple listen to all the tracks composing the album would be enough to dispel any doubt: George Michael is a complete composer and performer, his lyrics dense and moving, his sense of melody a truly rare gift, his arrangements meticulous and never overwhelming. Who could point the finger at the sweet and soft opening symphony of "Jesus To A Child", a pop song that glides smoothly beyond six minutes without tiring, or the irresistible and hyper-arranged R&B of "Fastlove"?
Not to mention the smoky title track, a great pop-jazz piece that will envy nothing from the famous "Kissing A Fool", or the surprising slow-reggae of "Spinning The Wheel". The soft and syncopated litany of "It Doesn't Really Matter" opens up to tearings of disarmingly and ruthlessly self-analysis in the marvelous "The Strangest Thing", continuing with soft lights in the piano bar of "To Be Forgiven" and in the slightly more lively (and always extraordinarily jazzy) "Move On". The usual dig at the star system with the dance mood of "Star People" gives way to the tender farewell of "You Have Been Loved", where the melodic grace with which the album opened is found again - closing a virtually perfect circle.
And opening up to works like these is certainly not a task for titans: the emperor Michael's new outfit is that of humility, the same that will let us abandon ourselves to such a rare gift of beauty and sincerity.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Jesus to a Child (06:51)
Kindness in your eyes
I guess you heard me cry
You smiled at me like Jesus to a child
I'm blessed I know
Heaven sent and heaven stole
You smiled at me like Jesus to a child
And what have I learned from all this pain
I thought I never feel the same about anyone or anything again
But now I know
Chorus:
When you find a love
When you know that it exists
Then the lover that you miss
Will come to you on those cold, cold nights
When you've been loved
When you know it holds such bliss
Then the lover that you kissed
Will comfort you when there's no hope in sight
Sadness in my eyes
No one guessed and no one tried
You smiled at me like Jesus to a child
Loveless and cold
With your last breath you saved my soul
You smiled at me like Jesus to a child
And what have I learned from all these tears
I've waited for you all those years
Then just when it began he took your love away
But I still say
Chorus
So the words you could not say
I'll sing them for you
And the love we would have made
I'll make it for two
For every single memory
Has become a part of me
You will always be my love
Well I've been loved so I know just what love is
And the lover that I kissed is always by my side
Oh the lover I still miss... was Jesus to a child
02 Fastlove (05:24)
Looking for some education
made my way into the night
all that bullshit conversation
well baby can't you read the signs?
I won't bore you with the details baby
I don't even want to waste your time
let's just say that maybe
you could help to ease my mind
baby, I ain't Mr. Right
But if you're looking for fastlove
if that's love in your eyes
it's more than enough
had some bad love
so fastlove is all that I've got on my mind
What's there to think about baby?
Looking for some affirmation
made my way into the sun
my friends got their ladies
they're all having babies
but I just want to have some fun
I won't bore you with the details baby
gonna get there in your own sweet time
let's just say that maybe
you could help to ease my mind
baby, I ain't Mr. Right
Chorus
What's there to think about baby?
get yourself some lessons in love
In the absence of security
I made my way into the night
stupid Cupid keeps on calling me
but I see nothing in his eyes
I miss my baby
I miss my baby, oh yeah
so why don't we make a little room in my BMW babe
searching for some peace of mind
hey, I'll help you find it
I do believe that we are practicing the same religion
you really ought to get up now
Looking for some affirmation?
03 Older (05:33)
"I should have known
it seemed too easy
you wer there
and I was breathing blue
strange
don't you think I'm looking older?
but something good has happended to me
change is a stranger
you have yet to known
well you're out of time
I'm letting go
you'll be fine
well that much I know
you're out of time
I'm letting go
I'm not the man you want
I should hav known
it seens so easy
you were there
I thought I needed you
strange
don't you think i'm looking older?
but something good has happened to me
change is a stranger
who never seem to show
well you're out of time
I'm letting go
you'll be fine
(or maybe you won't)
you're out of time
I'm letting go
I'm not the man that you want
I never should have looked back in your direction
I know that
just the same old fights again, baby
these are wasted days without affection
I'm not that foolish anymore"
04 Spinning the Wheel (06:21)
Five o'clock in the morning you ain't home
I can't help thinking that's strange
Baby I just want you to know I won't go through this again
Yes, those clouds are closing in
Chorus:
And I will not accept this as a part of my life
I will not live in fear of what may be
And the lessons that I learned
I would rather be alone than watch you spinning that wheel for me
You've got a thing about danger
Ain't you getting what you want from me
You've got a thing about strangers
Baby that's what we used to be
You've got a thing about danger baby
I guess the hungry just can't see
One of these days you gonna bring some home to me
Six o'clock in the morning you ain't home
I can't help thinking it's strange
It seems that everybody takes their chances these days
Oh yeah, we're standing in the rain
Chorus
How can you love me when you're playing with my life
You say give me time and I'll do better I swear
Give me time and I'll lead you back to despair
And I don't want to go back there
07 To Be Forgiven (05:21)
I'm going down
Won't you help me
Save me from myself
I hear the sound of a memory
Maybe time will tell
Suddenly my life is like a river
Taking me places I don't want to go
But like all good men who swim too well
It takes all that I have just to cry for help
Then that voice in my head
Tells me no
I'm going down
Won't you help me
Save me from myself
I look around for a fantasy
Maybe
Who can tell?
Let me live my life beside the river
Take me to places where a child can grow
And then
Maybe the boy inside will forsake me
Maybe
The child in me
Will just let me go
I'm going down
The cold, cold water is rushing in
I'm going down
And I would beg to be forgiven
If I knew my sin
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By Darius
"Older, dated 1996, probably represents the last great hallmark of George Michael’s discography before the explosion of sex scandals and the recent substance abuse."
"A completely different summer musical recipe from contemporary wigglings, suitable for any afternoon spent lazily napping on a hammock and thinking about the photo album."
By Abraham
"Just before gathering the strength to prepare ‘Older’, he lost, in 1993, the love of his life, Anselmo Feleppa."
"‘Jesus To a Child’, ‘Older’, ‘To Be Forgiven’, and ‘You Have Been Loved’ are truly milestones if taken as a benchmark in the artist’s catalog."
