Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

It was nice but not my style

Some songs I liked, some not for me. Favorite track: Cowboys and Angels

I don't know if it was a lack of sleep and driving to work in the rain, but I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Fairly dark with sparse instrumentation and some Beatles influences. A bit too much pop for my taste, but I was surprised by the amount of interesting turns a few songs made showing more ambitious territory and texture.

Freedom 90 is far and away the best track on this album. The rest is meh.

“Freedom! ‘90” is one of my absolute favorite songs. It’s an instant mood booster. I first got into it around 5 years ago when my mother-in-law demanded it I play over and over again at a family Christmas party. I’ve since fallen in love with it on my own but I’ll probably always associate it with her too. The rest of this album is pretty good. It’s heavy on slow ones. The songs are earnest and heartfelt though not many connected with me aside from “Freedom!”

George Michael had a great voice and I think that gets forgotten about sometimes. It's very evocative and naturally is dripping with sexuality that borders on corney/cringey but to be fair the cringe is kind of a byproduct of his era. Speaking of era, I think this album is kind of a hangover from the 1980's. It was released in 1990, 3 years after "Faith", so it was almost definitely created inside of the 1980's. The sound is like an 80's record that wants to evolve but just isn't ahead of it's time enough to start the exploration into 1990's pop. "Cowboys and Angels" is good example of this, where it feels like something that is really trying to be different and new, but it comes up sounding like a Sade track. There's a lot of good moments on this record. On "Freedom! '90", there's chord progressions and ideas that were undoubtedly taken and used by bands after this release. I hear specifically a lot of "Maroon 5" in that track. I also like "Heal the Pain" and all of the acoustic instruments. Lovely album cover. Super interesting idea. It looks like a fun summer day at a beach or some kind of huge pool event, but I also get "The Shining" vibes from it (the photo of the hotel at the very end of the movie!). Solid 3/5, not really enough huge memorable hits in my opinion for it to be higher. Very listenable though!

B Praying for Time 5 Freedom! '90 4 They Won't Go When I Go 4 Something to Save 3 Cowboys and Angels 3 Waiting for That Day 2 Mothers Pride 4 Heal the Pain 3 Soul Free 3 Waiting (Reprise) 2 Jorge Miguel, you absolute stud. You made the entire Bluth family proud with this one.

George Michael has a great voice, and there are some good songs, but the album as a while is a bit too ballad heavy for me, and is maybe a bit to "smooth".

Reminiscent of Elton John. Love songs and uplifting messages with catchy rhythms.

Only song I knew was Freedom 90. This album was more mellow than I hoped.it would be. 3/5

3/5

I never really appreciated just how rich and wonderful George’s voice was. Freedom is an all time great single and the rest was perfectly enjoyable. I can see why the label were less than thrilled but Michael’s voice suits these darker ballads rather wonderfully

Good album which could have been great. Michael was better when hes pushing his vocal repertoire and delving into risque songs, not the MOR mush which occupies most of his albums. An opportunity missed here..good but could have been outstanding.

A lot of excellent pop songs held back by a track list that us generally all over the place. I listened without prejudice at least!

FREEEDOOOOMMMMM!! The sound of this album is what I associate with George Michael. The moody sounds of the late 80s/early 90s synth ballad styling really brings out, in my opinion, the best of George Michael. Whilst sales and reception of this album weren't the greatest, I believe this album still holds up over 30 years later. Best: Freedom! '90 Worst: Cowboys and Angels 3.5 Stars

As I was starting this album up my husband asked “who’ve you got today?” And I replied, “I think you’ll be able to guess. If not by the first track then definitely by the second.” Partway through the first track he said, “I know who it is but I’m blanking on the name.” I wasn’t giving any clues. Then he said “it’s Beverly Hills Bathroom right?” And then we both laughed and laughed forever because yes, that’s exactly who it is. But I digress. Overall, it’s a very bland album aside from Freedom 90, the supernova massive banger that we all know whether we’re fans of Mr. Beverly Hills Bathroom or not. I fucking love that song. But one banger doesn’t make the rest of this tripe engaging or listenable.

Freedom! '90 was great but the rest didn't really live up to that song. The rest was full of good vocals and instrumentals but really wasn't for me. Still enjoyable though.

I wanted more from this album. I love George Michael’s voice, and while that definitely stood out I wasn’t loving the album as a whole. It was a little boring. A few really good songs but most were just meh.

Fine

Stiekem gewoon lekker.

De Engelse Gerard Joling!! Dacht eerst echt jezus wat een vreselijk album, maar na even er over gelezen te hebben snap ik het album wat beter aangezien het uitkwam te midden van de hiv/aids pandemie. De teksten vallen zo veel beter op z’n plek en het raakt me ook wel!

Ik heb het advies van de titel opgevolgd, en om eerlijk te zijn vond ik het prima. Freedom is het hoogtepunten, op een album met toch een paar dieptepunten. Ik kende alleen dus freedom en mothers pride, verder was het nieuw voor me. Prima 3 sterren, niet bijzonder maar ook zeker niet slecht

I expected better

I remembered this as being better than it now is! Maybe it's not aged that well.

Couldn't really get into this one. Freedom! '90 is a pretty good track.

Cool and different sound to Faith. Gotta give it up.

I have a weird relationship with Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1. I was not a fan fo Wham!. George Michael has put out a lot of work that I'm not interested in, but I own this album. I was introduced to this album by a friend who was learning how to play "Waiting for That Day" on the guitar. The album caught enough of my attention that I ended up buying a used copy of the CD. There are some tracks that I could skip ("Cowboys and Angels", "Mother's Pride"), but overall the album is good. I ended up making an EP of sorts of my favorite tracks from the album ("Freedom! '90", "Waiting for That Day", "Heal the Pain", "Waiting" (Reprise)). The stories told in the lyrics are about relationships at the narrowest level, but as a whole these tracks talk about hopes in life, the fear of having missed out even though you've been given so much of what you thought you had wanted, and trying to find a way to still move forward. The mood caught my attention for it's cleverness with the lyrics and backing music. You can hear in each of those tracks George Michael asking what happens when you hope to get this thing that you are sure that you want, and then are burdened with having that thing that you thought you wanted. It's no surprise that a snippet of the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" makes an appearance on one of the tracks.

George Michael's voice is lovely but after awhile the songs just sound the same.

Cool layered vocals over easy pop/soft rock. I liked the acoustic guitar

George sure did have a set of pipes on him that’s for sure. RIP George. Definition of easy listening. Couple of really nice tracks. Favourite is lThey Won’t go when I go”

Second George Michael records in 3 days - still lots of the same gravity and charm, but I feel this one follows a bit behind Faith in the overall canon. Despite looking for other standout tracks here, I thought the hit was the only song that really brought things to another level, or was really particularly interesting. The more acoustic approach to a lot of the songs didn't resonate with me as much here as the heat and coherence of the previous album. I will say, one of my favourite album artworks we've had so far. Not a bad album, but as a change in direction as a follow up to the last album I'm not sure it's a step up. Two and a half. Fave Track: Freedom! '90

Pretty good. I'd give it 3 1/2. Rounding down because it doesn't belong in quite the same company as most 4 star albums. But still pretty good.

paljon covereita... ihan hyviä kaikki mutta ei tota mielummin kuuntelen aina toisen version siitä kyseisestä biisistä sitten. mutta albumina kokonaisuudessaan aika hyvä! hyvät pippalot aikaansaanaan.. eih ehkä sovi kuntoilu muusiksi mutta onneksi olin siivoilumassa ja toimii siivoulumuusikiksi... freedom!90 poppi humputus jamputus... parhaana biisinä...

His voice is just amazing. I saw him live when I was a lot younger, not knowing any of his music, and it was just so impressive. That really shows through on this album, but there's something about it which stops it being truly great. Maybe it's because it's musically a bit too safe, maybe it's because some of the lyrics are a bit too on the nose? Probably a bit of both. The opening of the album (Praying For Time / Freedom / They Won't Go When I Go) made me think we might get something really special, but it tails away a bit after that. 3/5.

This album feels like a greatest hits. Every song composition was different. Freedom! ‘90 is a quintessential pop song and no other song on the album sounds like it. You’ve got ballads, acoustics, noir jazz, country, bongos, and island sounds.

Struggled to review this one , it’s not my type of music but I appreciate his voice and the strong ballads . Sitting between a 2 and a 3 so I’m rating higher

Halfway in- soothing, enjoyable. Dunno why, i usually dont like these kind of songs. Not my style. 3 stars for me, but objectively maybe even 4.

Not my style but enjoyed it Musically is nice

Wel beter dan ik dacht eigenlijk. Goed geschreven nummers en goede stem. Beetje zagerig bij de rustigere nummers soms.

It was a nice acoustic, fresh sounding album, but at times a little too ballad-y for me. Definitely different from his Faith album. I completely forgot how good "Freedom 90" is

Alright. Goes by quickly. Don't have much to say, but he does sing really well. + Freedom + Cowboys & Angels

reconheci uma música, um hino, mas de resto achei o álbum apenas ok. gostei muito da voz dele, muito boa.

Not a George Michael fan, but the first three songs are decent.

Bit samey and of it’s time but felt the emotional pull in the songs. RIP GM

You couldn't get away from Freedom on MTV back when this song was released. Great song. Great video. It still breaks my heart that his sexuality was the butt of so many jokes back then. I'm happy his music did so well, I wish he could have lived out loud for longer.

i have no strong feelings one way or the other

Solid

Decent 3/5

M'étant débarrassée de tous mes préjugés et biais en amont de cette écoute, je suis désormais libre 🤠

Als erstes: dieses Couvert!!! Lieb's. Allerdings...ich find's auch wieder etwas repetitiv. Einmal war's richtig gut und der vibe ist auch immer noch geil, aber ich kann keine vier Sterne mehr geben.

A album with some funky songs. Is a vibe. Favourite song: Cowboys and Angels (have you heard the sax???)

Excelente voz para canciones pop y con alternancia de sentimientos. Icono gay, sus canciones reflejan normalmente optimismo y alegría

Not my favorite, but not bad.

Score: 65 Album art: 60 This album is about as musically interesting as my balls. That being said, the lyrics are good, the singing is good. The lyricism does a lot of the heavy lifting here. The instrumentation is good though, although sometimes the pan flutes and stock drumkit beats come off as silly. It's surprisingly very dark for what is essentially elevated elevator music. Fav songs: They won't go when I go Least Fav: Soul free. The mixing is awful on this track compared to rest of the album.

Chillige Musik, so habe ich mir George Michael auch vorgestellt. Auch cooles Cover, allerdings würde ich dem Album insgesamt eine 3/5 geben, da ich auch hier keinen richtigen Ohrwurm habe (außer vielleicht Freedom! '90)

This album is pretty ok!

He sings really well and with passion, but somehow, even through the songs are written emotionally in their tone, they feel stale. The songs themselves felt as well like they were missing something, as they drag on. Perhaps a unique bridge, guitar solo, change in dynamics, something!

Nothing life changing. A very catchy and grandiose performance. I really liked the second half of the album

More substance to this than I thought there would be

Pretty solid all the way through. Better than I expected.

2.5/5

Good, but at the same time nothing special. Flew by me and I thought most of the songs were quite similar Best song: Freedom! 90 Worst song: -

Solid britisk pop, en rigtig moodbooster, masser af kor og catchy hooks

obviously that one is really good, but the rest just aren’t my style

Not really my thing, but more enjoyable than I expected. Maybe I really did listen without prejudice...

This was fine. It's not really my type of music, but I had no problem listening to it.

Why so many echo effects on the vocals? Some great songs here, but too many ruined by production. Better live than studio because live it let George's voice shine and it's too manipulated on the album.

Qué gran canción es Freedom 90. Igualmente tiene otras canciones destacables y la diferencia en enfoque y madurez versus Faith es notable.

George Michael is pretty great. This album seems to be limited to some basic music. He's more about pushing a message than creating an innovative sound. Feels a bit like gospel music. It's fine, but not his best work.

Freedom ‘90

George was an icon, deeply missed in the world of pop music. On this album he matured quite a bit and the songs reflect that. Very good crafted pop songs with beautiful melodies and great vocals. Bonus, the Stevie Wonder's They Won't Go When I Go cover is gold! Key tracks: Praying For Time, Freedom! '90, Something To Save, Cowboys And Angels, Waiting For That Day, Heal The Pain. 7 out of 10

Not my usual jam, but decent

Sort of exist as a way to funnel Freedom ‘90 outside of that track not too much of this comes out as relevant. Still George Michael’s voice is so damn good.

Freedom is an absolute banger and deserves all the praise. I'm not too keen on ballads in minor keys though and found alot of the rest fairly boring

This was fine. I was surprised when I hurt “They Won’t Go When I Go” since I was just listening to the song earlier today. Favorite song: “Freedom! ‘90”.

He always tried too hard and here it's obvious from the Beatlesesque opneing notes that he wants to be taken oh so seriously. One's simply not persuaded. There is a synthetic and contrived quality – again, too effortful – on nearly every song. "Freedom! '90" (an oddly puncuated title) is Primal Scream Light Lite, the palest sort of distant imitation and not flattering to anyone. Even on cuts one is inclined to like (e.g., "Waiting for that Day," with it's classic '90s programmed drummy shuffle), there's a whiff of diffidence and derivativeness to the repositionining, which feels entirely inspired by commercial considerations. The whole thing's just sort of tepid, despite its core competence. Still, nobody had a better voice, which comes through strongest on the quieter cuts (the lush and jazzy [but oddly titled] "Cowboys and Angels," say). But he's no Marvin Gaye and doesn't feel committed to the material, and the hodge-podge of styles shows less his versatility than desperate hit-seeking, a pathetic reaching after relevance. And speaking of titles, one feels a little insulted by the imprecation to hear it unbiasedly; on the one hand, yes, of course, always, but on the other, WTF? Does GM lack such faith in his material that it merits such a defensive caveat? Does he think it's not fun or poppy or danceable enough? Too high-minded? And Volume 1? As if he'll remind us again? Wow, thanks for that. One can't take him as seriously as he's always seemed to want to be taken. To get that, he might've simply have lightened up and just, you know, sang. By trying to be more than, say, Hall and Oates, he fell far short for his troubles.

Some very solid tracks, but parts of the album are uninspiring. 3/5

Not as good as Faith, but this is still a solid album from a great talent who was taken before his time.

George Michael was able to make some great pop music in the late 80s and early 90s. This album is pretty consistent throughout and has a couple of good tracks. Wouldn’t revisit most of it but if I heard it again I wouldn’t dislike it. 6.0/10

Cool

Sounded good, but not my vibe. 80s ballads don't hit it for me.

bomb

I was surprised that I liked this at all. It was much more enjoyable and had more depth than I expected.

I listened to this back-to-back with Faith and I prefer this album to George's debut. They Won't Go When I Go was particularly nice.

Three and a half. Freedom is my jam. And I liked the rest of this more than I thought I would.

Other than freedom, it doesn’t really hit any particularly spectacular notes for me. It’s good, but I’d say that’s about it. Some great lyrics in there from a strong man but just pretty average overall album.

i don't dislike it, but not doing much for me. It's fine for background music

I mean, it wasn’t bad, but other than Freedom I’m not sure what was so special about this album.

nothing special tbh

I am listening with and without prejudice and not really enjoying it. meh 3/5

The mix/master lacks a bit of oomph which is distracting. Im not totally sure what George Michaels was going for with this album. It’s never bad, but it feels a bit all over the place.

Jej

Hm ja, ik heb hier geheel onbevooroordeeld naar geluisterd, en het is allemaal keurig gemaakt, maar ik vind er toch niet veel aan. Meer muziek voor iets te dikke en schorre blonde studentenmeisjes.

Prachtige titel voor deze lijst natuurlijk. Laten we dat maar proberen. Maar het wordt mij wel moeilijk gemaakt. De eerste tonen bevestigen mijn vooroordelen toch sterk. Zoetsappige klanken. Toch maar door naar de rest. Knap dat je saaie muziek op zoveel manieren kunt presenteren eigenlijk. Want gevarieerd is het wel. En ik moet ook wel toegeven. Het is goede muziek/zang en hoort in deze lijst thuis. Ik kan er zelf alleen maar moeilijk naar luisteren. Laten we het houden op smaak. Dan ga ik maar voorbij aan mijn eigen smaak. En geef dit album een voldoende.

Sjors heeft een van de beste stemmen die we ooit gehoord hebben. Maar of hij maakte er veel te blije wham muziek mee, of depressieve ballads. Vervolgens weer een jazzy crooner song, dat ik zowaar het beste vind klinken. Het ene nr is beter dan het andere in ieder geval en het gaat alle kanten op muzikaal gezien, wat het wel interessant maakt om te luisteren. Maar of ik het vaker op ga zetten betwijfel ik Iconischer voor mij zijn dont let the sun go down met elten jon en somebody to love met queen op het freddie tribute concert.

It's fine I suppose.

George Michael takes inspiration from the ongoing shoegaze and Madchester movements to produce dreamier and funkier tracks in an accessible R&B style. His voice carries more of a reverb, providing space and feeling ethereal in most of the tracks. His voice and songwriting are certainly the highlights. I'm not a big fan of his piano ballads, but the jangly guitar adds a cheerful vibe to several songs. It's overall a decent album, although there were 3 really boring tracks. Favorites: Freedom '90, Cowboys and Angels, Heal the Pain

Not his best but still had favorites

Better than I remembered. You wouldn’t know that he had some real songwriting talent based on just his radio play.

Freedom is music at its finest. Not enough to bump this beyond a 3 though.

Really not my type of music, but I can still appreciate that this has a lot of power and appeals to a lot of people!

Honestly I had never listened to a George Michael album before, and of course I had heard Freedom but other than that I wasn’t totally aware of any other songs and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not quite good enough t to be a 4/5, but honestly close. 7/10.

Clever album title! It certainly made me listen with an open mind. The first few tracks were really impressive, and did indeed raise George Michael in my estimation as an all-round singer/songwriter/producer of substance. The middle of the album was much less uninspiring - there are some pretty ordinary nothing-y sort of songs there. But overall, a worthwhile listen (and that’s without prejudice).

3.5/5 Such a beautiful voice, he can make songs sound so dramatic. Of course I knew him by name but didn’t have a big knowledge of his work. This album has quitte some variation in it and kept me interested till the end. Favourite songs: - Praying for time - Freedom ‘90! - Waiting

Well, it's a solid pop album of the era, I suppose. Not a whole lot to recommend it but also not a whole lot to complain about aside from it being a pop album of the era. Not much more to say about it. It's just... okay.

Great voice

Freedom from bangers.

i did try to

some good pop music. 7/10

C'edt pas si mal, mieux que je m'atre dais rt ca son e bien vers la fin3.65'

Freedom is sick

Less rock than I had expected but still an enjoyable album.

Decent scran

It was fine but not spectacular

A bit too much 80's for my taste. Kindof like a male sade?

The dream of the 90s is alive in George Micheal, but I'm not a single mom in the boonies of London dancing my heart out with an empty bottle of pinot on the ground of my tiny flat that I can barely afford while trying to put myself through cosmetology school, so I guess the magic is lost on me. Cowboys and Angels is actually pretty sweet. Super chill and jazzy. Some real baby makin' music. Freedom is a classic. Overall 5.5/10 for me. Great production, definitely helped get a lot of our moms pregnant, but it's just not my cup o' tea.

interesting, favorites are probably Freedom ‘90, Something to Save, and Comboys and Angels

Det var helt okej, men inte riktigt min pop kanske.

Decent

6/10. George mikes

Just heard it to much

Definitely an early 90s album. It has the spirit that "things are gonna get better". There was also a surprising amount of flute or pan flute. Solid, but not something I truly enjoyed or would listen to on my own again. Best Songs: Freedom!, Cowboys and Angels, Soul Free Worst Songs: Something to Save,

Dated synths and attempts to interpolate Elton John and protest song aside, Listen is a fair shot better than Faith. It's far from perfect pop, but not dominated by the hits.

George Michael.

Okay album. All songs sound good but don't really standout.

Some classic songs but not really into it

It's fine. Pretty generic but not offensive. His voice is fantastic but the music is so bland that it doesn't really matter.

Passable late 80s pop. Love tge song Freedom '90. 3 🌟

Solid pop album

I didn't go in with high hopes, it overall, it was pretty enjoyable.

At the time, I thought that it took a lot of guts for George to go down the ‘grown up’ route away from teeny bop (high grade variety, it must be said) so determinedly. With hindsight… With hindsight. I’m not really a lyrics person, but listening to this now, I think, gosh. I wouldn’t want to contend with this degree of anguish, and to be permanently resident in the public eye for…

At first I was ready to give this 1 star, maybe 2 for 'Freedom! '90'. But it's a pop record, and its qualities lies within its catchiness and recognizability. And there are some catchy and beautifully composed songs on here like 'Waiting (Reprise)', 'They Won't Go When I Go' and 'Cowboys and Angels'. 'Waiting for That Day' is also quite a good tune, but like the man himself acknowledges, it is veeeery close to 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' in chord progression. On the other hand, you also have the ridiculous pan flute on the heavy-handed 'Mother's Pride', so I really don't know what to make of this.

A stark but most welcome departure from the Wham! and Faith-days! It really suits Michael’s vocal to be accompanied by less synth and kapow and more guitars and piano. Freedom of course being the huge but amazing exception. A sizable deduction for thinking that pan flute is appropriate anywhere else than in the lobby of a mid-range all-inclusive Greek hotel chain. All in all Mother’s Pride is really the start of a 2nd half that’s nowhere near as strong as the 1st. Best: Freedom! / They Won’t Go When I Go / Cowboys and Angels Worst: Mother’s Pride / Heal the Pain / Soul Free

Pretty mid

Honestly, I didn't have a problem with this album. George's voice was spot on on every song, there was diversity among the songs, and the music and lyrics were well written. However, it didn't really leave a strong impression on me. Definitely listenable, but not really one I will return to anytime soon.

A very knowing move away from fun enjoyable pop of Wham! and Faith to “mature” serious music. Always good vocals, but fewer enjoyable songs. 3 stars for serious effort and accomplished signing.

3/5 Grand for the time and genre but not my speed at all.

Solid ballads

Entirely unexceptional. Not really my thing

Freedom! Great song, although I've heard some remixes of it that I like even more than the original. Rest of the album was alright, nothing outstanding for me.

I listened without prejudice... and have to say that this album is MUCH better than I thought it would be. There's a couple of songs I can happily to do without, which would make the album much tighter, but overall - in particular the opening three tracks - I really like this. His voice is great, the jazz focus works and the dance elements are infectious.

George Michael was certainly a bigger success as a solo artist. As an entertainer, he puts in the effort and it yields an authenticity to his produced work on this album. Anthemic hits like "Freedom!" find a way to fit in tone of this album. Albeit less sexy than his previous solo efforts, his draw in comparison to contemporaries like Sting, Prince, and Michael Jackson is worthy of note. This is a great pop album, and certainly shows the subtle change from 80s reliance on synth pop back to real instruments. A change for the better, and also a bit of a foresight into what would later inspire the sound behind the pop sensation Ace of Bass. "Soul Free" includes that aggressive beat, supported by piano and flute, a mix that would feature quite a bit into early 90s pop.

Dudes pretty fucking good.

Ok never listened to a GM album but with a couple of exceptions this is quite a moody introspective work which i liked more than I thought. The long Cowboys and Angels in the middle was a highlight. 3.5

Lot of catchy Pop Songs. Maybe responsible for the gospel choirs in throwaway pop music. (6/10) FT: Freedom! '90, Praying for Time

Ik begon sterk met George, maar die valse lucht in zijn stem werd me tegen het einde wel een beetje te gortig.

Die gospelachtige nummers kende ik nog niet en vind ik mooi. Vocaal altijd erg onder de indruk van George, qua muziek iets minder. Dat geveeg met dat kwastje over die snaredrum de hele tijd… (ik denk dat dat is wat ik hoor).

Ei tää nyt ollu yhtään niin huono ku kelasin. Poppista poppista!

Not his best but undoubtedly very good

Pas si mal que ça! Prefs: Praying for Time, Freedom! '90, Cowboys and Angels, Heal the Pain Moins pref: Mother's Pride

bit overprocessed in places but still a good album

Freedom! 90 is an alltimer, a surprisingly subdued release in general though.

I found it much better than Faith, but it still didn't resonate with me. It was more somber and serious.

Apparently this was criticised at the time for not being as "fun" as George's earlier, which is... not unfair, but also kind of misses the point. I kind of wish it had been a bit more varied, but then again it does have "Freedom 90" on it which is only one of the best pop songs of that era, so. And it sold an awful lot in the UK, so apparently it *was* what people wanted from him...

No fue de mi agrado musicalmente, pero no puedo criticarlo realmente pues no es el tipo de música que me gusta.

Decent album, favorite of course is Freedom '90.

A little slow for my taste

One song I know and a lot of other stuff. Pretty chill. GM has a good voice.

This just about sums up the early 90s.

good

Great vocals, but I still prefer the sound of Faith better. 3

So they had to go into the 90’s in order to have a nice production, oh well! The album is a bit over dramatic but is it nice and Michael sure could sing. That freedom song is a stone cold classic

Ultimately meh, it's well produced and well performed, but just meh.

Surprisingly good record

Enjoyed They Won’t Go When I Go,

What a voice, but I was ready for it to end about three songs prior to it ending.

Enjoyable listen a great voice

I tried to listen without prejudice - and it worked! A few of these tracks were overplayed in my youth but enough time had passed for me to be able to hear the talent.

3 1/2*

George Michael has a killer voice but the album as a whole was just fine. Still love freedom 90

i like the Sade bits, Freedom is epic. Overall better than I expected.

3-, phenomenal voice of mr Michael, love it. The album itself is not that good, I understand the operation, Michael was looking for some change in his creative output, but it's a little bit generic, but not bad after all. Freedom 90 is the best track on the album, I will be surely coming back to that one

The fact that you call it that tells me you’re not ready

I don't have faith that I'll be listening to this one again!

Well, began with prejudice 🙃 - but it turned out to be a surprisingly listenable album and not as dated as expected. Going to admit - not going to blast this down main street, but had a good time listening to it. And, at times George Michael channels an unusually unparalleled Freddie Mercury, especially in 'Mother's Pride'. I unfortunately underestimated his talent - but he is a consistently good artist in general, even though not up to my musical tastes.

Meh.

dramatic stadium pop

Started strong with Freedom which is a banger, but died down later in the album and I found myself waiting for the end a bit. He has an incredible voice but some songs felt a bit dated.

Genre: Pop 3/5 George Michael, in 1990, was still in his post-Wham! phase, but had already established himself as a pop juggernaut. His debut solo album had 4 US number 1 singles, and the album was a massive critical and sales success. His second album, while not a pop masterpiece, is still easy on the ears, clean as a whistle, and George Michael’s voice is crystal clear and really does pack a punch. The setlist here is a little slow for my tastes, but there are still some solid tunes here. Freedom! ‘90 is a truly iconic and altogether really wonderful pop single.

George Michael was born under the right alignment of stars, for he looks as good as he sings, and he sings as good as he looks.

The 90s barely started and already, this is a very 90s album.

suco oitenzono, podia ser michael jackson, podia ser o comecinho de sympathy for the devil (mas só o comecinho), mas é george michael, um disco cravado na década, com os dois pé no terninho de ombreira. enfim, bom, bem bom.

Like some of the songs

Some of my most annoying earworms from the 80's were courtesy of George Michael. Faith, I Want Your Sex and anything from his former band, Wham! and the accompanying videos, I couldn't stand! I must admit when I listened to Listen Without Prejudice in 2022, it was a more sympathetic listen as the songs and vibe are a little more sombre and toned down than his previous hit record. The song Freedom! 90 may evoke a different emotion for me now than when it released over 30 years ago. The record isn't awful and listening without prejudice to the whole thing gives me perhaps a slightly different perspective on the man instead of just a "pop star".

Vibeworthy. 5/10

A decent album. One really well known song. The other songs each had a different style.

Our second from George Michael, and very underwhelming compared to Faith. The title made me laugh, how many volumes of listening without prejudice did this guy plan? Is he just making a point about how serious he is, like when someone hits a "1/?" indicator on a tweet thread? Some decent pop/rock tracks of course, and I knew "Freedom" but aside from that I wasn't too engrossed. It's alright I guess. Maybe this is a British bias moment? I just don't think we really need more than the one George Michael project, let's be real. I'd dismiss this from the list with prejudice, not for being bad but for taking up a crucial slot. Favorite tracks: Freedom, Cowboys and Angels, Waiting for That Day. Album art: A lame crowd shot, black and white for no apparent reason. The version on Apple Music is a hi-res close up shot of George Michael in his older age. Neither cover makes me want to hear this. 3/5

S’ok

Busy bee

I accidentally listened with prejudice. Sorry Michael!

6/10

oddly... good?

he was alright i suppose

Not a terrible album, but this album absolutely does not belong on this list. This is essential to nothing.

Takes itself very seriously, after a couple of fun bangers at the front, drifts off into lounge-land quite quickly. I'm sure there's an audience out there that loves it, but I'm not it.

Enjoyed this. Had more depth that you think did dode.

I wanted to hate it but I couldn’t, Great pop with a bit extra with the confidence to rip influences from other songs and make them his own (ish)

Pop. Soul. Muy blandito. Aburrido.

3/5

2.5/5 George Michael is a great singer. He has an amazing voice, and he knows how to use it. This album is flat and bland, though, with so many successive down-to-mid-tempo ballads featuring whiny lyrics... That said, I have to admit that the absolute highlight of the album is the haunting quasi-spiritual "They Won't Go When I Go" which sounds equally influenced by Prince and Franz Schubert. It is beautifully written, simply arranged, and brilliantly performed. This song is a must-listen. The album is not.

George Michael wrote a pretty convincing John Lennon song - Praying for Time. I'd love to have heard John Lennon cover this song. I'm trying to listen to this album without prejudice. I would NEVER have listened to this even a few years ago, but I'm opening up to different stuff. Here we go. There are some complex arrangements in here for pop music. Pretty impressive. I'm never going to listen to this album again, but I can respect the skillz.

3.4 - Pretty, understated, often sappy. “Praying for Time” is an underrated gem. The album version of “Freedom - 90” is overlong - much prefer the radio edit - but the song is still a jam. “Waiting for that Day” and “Heal the Pain” are gorgeous. Doesn’t quite jell as an album but still a good listen.

I mean, he's fine. Soul Free was my favorite song, even above Freedom. 3.5

I was heading toward a probably 2 star review for this, and then I heard Heal the Pain. I really liked that song a lot - in fact I wish the rest of the album was more like that. Overall it was okay. George Michael had a great voice and was clearly a talented guy, but most of his music is just so-so for me. 3 stars.

bit boring apart from the radio hits

This was pretty much as expected, but that's not a bad thing. Freedom was a big hit when I was a kid. Still sounds good, still just sounds like average 90s pop music. 3/5.

Sadly, this did not do much for me.

Praying for time I really liked, the other songs I wasn’t that fussed about. The Album as a whole is good but gets a bit dreary. I was expecting more upbeat pop. I understand that it was made with the backdrop of the HIV/AIDS thing going on, and his own struggles so not a lot to be upbeat about I guess.

I did and it was just middling.

Enjoyed this more than I thought. Loved the extended version of Freedom 90. Was a bit slow in places, but that was George. 3 stars

Erstaunliche Bandbreite und Qualität. Wäre aber nicht meins....

Pretty fabulous.

Not available on Spotify, so just giving 3

Some top notice pop, but a lot of filler thrown in.

Decent listen

By George, I think he’s got it

A very enjoyable album. clearly influential in pop culture for its time and beyond - any album with a song featuring in Arrested Development is good to me Saved: Freedom!, Heal The Pain

Duidelijke stijl doorheen heel het album.

I used to be pretty dismissive of George. in hindsight, that was misplaced snobbery

A good pop album. Maybe a little too self indulgent. Could have done with a few lighter moments.

Desde el primer disco de George Michael como que no me convenció. Salvo uno que otro momento de buena u instrumentación y la canción freedom que es muy pegajosa y animada, y que creo que ya había salido en el disco anterior de él, los demás tracks me dieron igual. Mood: No lo pude escuchar sin prejuicio.

Album nie vorher gehört, die Single ist ja ein roter Hering. Für die und "They won't go..." wil ich eigentlich 5 Sterne geben, da ist auch noch mehr Schönes drauf, aber wieder lande ich beim Sound, der für mich nicht passt. In der Produktion ist es nämlich wieder um Totalpop, und das geht so nicht. Würde ich gern alles mal unplugged serviert bekommen.

Highlights: Praying for Time, Waiting Lowlight: Freedom! '90 Some genre-bending music here, but I've never been a fan of Freedom! '90. Praying for Time is probably the strongest track here, that really gets inside your head and makes you think. Everything else is pretty standard fare, not exceptional but competently executed.

Pues sí escuché sin prejuicios, pero medio meh. Creo que tenía altas expectativas porque el anterior de George Michael que tocó sí lo disfruté mucho. Acá de repente hay canciones desangeladas. Claro, "Freedom! '90" sí la ubicaba y me parece buena, rescato "Cowboys and Angels". "Heal the Pain" de pronto me parece que desentona con todo lo demás, que es sobre todo baladitas medio aburridonas. Lo que sí me gustó es que el disco termine con un grito de G. Michael. En fin, reitero: medio meh. 6/10

Started off great but a bit too slow for my taste

Better than the 80s album earlier. I think he is good singer, but he was searching to find the right way to express himself. One track (Waiting for that Day) stood out as being a pretty good song, the Freedom! '90 is better than average, but the rest of the album was pretty average to me.

Freedom of course, but a few other surprising tunes on here. I'd listen again, in 4 months maybe.

What a voice.

I liked it, didn't love it. Not my scene really, but there's nothing wrong with this album. George Michael definitely has a great voice.

Love george's hits but not enough hits here

Because I gotta have faith.

After my first half listen this review was going to be pretty hash, but a second spin I warmed to it a little. I had to listen to the wham version of Freedom to get that it wasn’t just a cover of his own song. Still not a fan but an easy enough listen.

Dude could sing!

No prejudice activated. I liked it, guess he really carried Wham! huh

Not horrific but really not my sort of thing. Quite bland if I'm being really honest. He is clearly a talented guy but it's not for me

Freedom 90 was cool. The rest was OK, but not really my thing. I could see how this might’ve influenced Robbie Williams/boy bands later on. And I heard a surprising amount of Michael Jackson influence on George Michael.

This seems like 2 different albums. You got the poppy hits of Freedom & Soul Free. A very jazzy Cowboys & Angels. Then the rest is just somber, slow, dull songs that go on for way too long. Even Freedom. Edit is your friend, Georgie. I feel like Heal the Pain is like let me Heal your pain with my penis. Freedom is a great song & at times I could see the iconic music video playing in my headspace. Still dull. 2

Unfortunately, I did listen with préjudice. I have ears, and thus could hear that this sounds like shit.

Pues las primeras dos son joyas máximas pero luego es un estilo como balada muy formal musicalizada muy clásico…

A bit ballad-y for me but Freedom is a stone cold banger.

Freedom 90 is an anomaly on this album. 8 sad slow boring songs, one cheesy disco lite song, and then Freedom 90.

hmmm not to big on it Will I listen to again: 2%

Just not a fan of this slow music.

Lots of prejudice here, unfortunately. Pop extravagance throws me off. Freedom is a great great song yes, the others struggle mightily to keep up. Probably worse for me they can't even get close.

As the titles suggests, this is a serious and mature album from a pop star. The lyrics on many of these songs address real world issues, though not always effectively. "Mothers Pride" is a pretty typical example - it hits all the emotional beats about a dead soldier but ends up feeling a bit cliche. The music is mostly subdued in order to fit the themes, which leads to songs like the opener that don't go anywhere and bland ballads like "They Won't Go When I Go." There are a few good songs here: "Freedom 90" has a terrific groove and is very catchy, and "Soul Free" is loose and sounds like the 90s British underground. Even lesser versions of that sound like "Waiting for That Day" (unnecessary Stones interpolation aside) are nice. But almost everything else is too buttoned up, and it results in an album that isn't very fun or insightful

Praying for time - 2 Freedom! '90 - 3 They won't go when i go - 2 Something to save - 2 Cowboys and angels - 2 Waiting for that day - 2 Motger's pride - 2 Heal the pain - 2 Soul free - 2 Waiting (reprise) - 3

I listened without prejudice but also without much enjoyment.

It's not just that Michael's vocals are drenched in reverb/echo, it's that his often air/whispery delivery accentuates the way reverb is use on these songs. "Freedom 90" has to be one of the most 90’s songs I’ve ever heard, which leads to the main pitfall I hear on this record: the leap George Michael took to make this thing sound ‘current’ (for it’s time) ends up hurting him. “Soul Free” is a good example, it’s just a lightweight track with a very 90’s drum pattern that doesn’t really pack a punch. I think I prefer some of the more sweeping, dramatic arrangements of his earlier solo work. “They Won’t Go When I Go” has a little of that drama, but not enough to carry an album. 2/5

old navy shopping music it is just boring imo. A 2 for me.

"Listen Without Prejudice", aaah, l'ironie ! Bon, alors, j'ai vraiment essayer d'écouter ça avec l'esprit ouvert, parce que le premier album de George Michael de la liste (et l'unique autre, j'espère), ça a été clairement l'une des pires purges parmi les 233 albums que j'ai eu à écouter jusque-là. Donc j'ai abordé celui-ci en me disant d'essayer d'avoir l'esprit le plus neutre possible et d'aborder cet album comme si je ne connaissais pas encore George Michael. Ma conclusion, c'est que je déteste vraiment George Michael. C'est sirupeux, c'est kitsch, c'est mielleux, j'en peux plus. J'ai l'impression d'écouter la moyenne de tous les trucs mièvres qui pouvaient sortir à l'époque, tant c'est à la fois daté, prévisible et sans âme. Alors je vais pas mettre 1 comme au premier (enfin, je suppose, j'hésite encore, parce que les pires titres sont à la fin et me font douter de mon jugement), parce que même si j'ai soufflé tout du long, il y avait quelques passages sympathiques, qui avaient souvent la particularité de : - ne pas avoir de claviers, - ne pas avoir George Michael qui chante. Je comprends pas pourquoi quelqu'un voudrait écouter ça, tellement ça me semble sans intérêt.

He has a strong voice, but aside from Freedom 90 the compositions don't do anything for me. They Won't Go When I Go has at least a more stripped down sound and let's his voice carry it. Overall I don't think this was a necessary inclusion. His album Faith is enough.

"Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1" by George Michael is an okay album for me. This album is disappointing compared to his debut album "Faith". This album has a melodic voice from George Michael. I only found few tracks that are good "Praying for Time", "Freedom '90", and "Cowboys and Angels". There are mostly filler songs and I found weaker in second half of the album like " They Won't Go When I Go", "Something to Save", "Mothers Pride" and other few. Overall not so great album from George Michael.

Really not for me sigh

Just not my vibe really. Clichey 80/90s pop but doesn't stand up to the Cindy Lauper album I had a few albums back. Can we also talk about the mixing? Where the hell is the bass and why is the treble cranked up to 11? Faves: Freedom, Waiting for that Day

Other than “Freedom”, this album was pretty soft and forgettable

It’s disappointing when the single(s) is the best track by far.

Meh

Sounds highly corny but he’s got a great voice. Can’t listen to Freedom without thinking of Always Sunny and laughing which kind of ruins the song for me. 2

🎵 one of these things is not like the others 🎵 Freedom! '90 is such a banger that it showcases how not-banger the rest of the songs are, which makes me sad.

I Listened Without Prejudice. Despite his faith, George seemed to be feeling a lot of pain, assigning a lot of blame, and noting that we’re all the same. I can see how the album has appeal for some, George has a very pure voice, but the album comes across as a bit whimpy, and the lyrics / rhymes a bit weak. The album makes the 1001 Must Hear List because of Robert’s affection for Brits and songs about mothers loosing their sons to war. It’s all very tragic. (2.2*s) Got him a little reggae vibe to change it up with Soul Free. He did not let me down, just better in small doses.

"Freedom! 90" puts this album on the list because the rest is pretty skippable. Not sure if the title has anything to do with Michael's sexuality but I went in with no bias, expecting a lot of upbeat pop. Instead, you get deep ballads that show a different side of the artist and his talents. I never heard anything but the top 3 hits from George and although the slow songs aren't as good purely for the type, he can sing and write. 1.55 stars for this record and I have faith that another GM album is making the list .

I'm relatively unfamiliar with George Michael other than a couple of hits and awareness of a somewhat troubled past. Wasn't sure what to expect from a George Michael entry, especially one with the title Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1. A couple songs in on the heels of Freedom '90 in I was gearing up for something to maintain the energy and hit some any kind of impact . Unfortunately the album really winds down and devolves to sappy 80's (90's?) pop ballads. The majority of songs sound really similar and stick to the same structure. It was difficult for me to even differentiate between them so I found myself slogging through the next 30+ minutes. The album does improve a bit near the end with Soul Free, but by then I was already waiting for it to be over. I wanted to like this more than I did but if this is what George Michael has to offer I'll stick to the few radio hits and shelve the rest of his collection. 1.61 stars

I sympathise with the George Micheal persona and I acknowledge his cultural (meaning: pop culture), social and even political importance. In addition, I enjoy playing (and systematically losing) the whamageddon game each December. However, I find this record really really boring (with the exception of Freedom, ça va sans dire...)

Not a particularly memorable album aside from Freedom! 90. George Michael has a nice voice, but in fairness to other albums, he’s really breathy in his singing sometimes and that’s a no from me. I might consider giving this another listen. Maybe it gets better on repeat listens, but I doubt it. Probably better to grab the one good song for a playlist and keep moving on.

I'm more of a Faith guy

Great cover art, wonderful photo. However, apart from Freedom 90, all these songs passed me without making the slightest impression. Cheesy, dull easy-listening pop where I found myself counting down the minutes until it ended, although the final track Waiting was actually great lyrically and the minimal instrumentation was perfect.

“Freedom” is a great, A+ pop track. Other than that though there’s not a single moment on this I remember.

Ehhhhhhhh George Michael does not do it for me. Other than Freedom90 being memorable, the only thing I remember thinking during this was waiting for it to be over

Czil ig

I preferred his first album, Faith, to this one by quite a bit. While the acoustic showings let him demonstrate his vocal range, and I liked the lyricism of this one, it just wasn’t as fun or enjoyable to listen no. Nothing as exciting as the first album.

Good singing and songwriting, but mostly a snooze for me. Respect George Michael trying to show a more ‘serious’ side, and he does it well. It just doesn’t strike me all that much.

Freedom is a great pop song. The rest of this album is forgettable at best. Too many cheesy songs that don’t hold up.

Not sure the hype. A few good songs but meh overall. Very 80s early 90s

Eh

Oh it's the George Michael "deep" album. I remember this one! Listening to it again is a nice little nostalgic trip. As I'm not a George Michael fan I probably won't revisit it but it was a nice listen. It's got some lyrics that still hold true today, and that is depressing within itself. The music is nice and poppy, my wife said its still danceable but it could be our age showing. Honestly I'd like to get someone in their 20's to listen and get their opinion. I'm not sure how well it held up, but as I said I'm not a fan of his stuff over all. Seriously it's a solid album for its age.

Quite operatic, and musical with epic bold production and decent instrumentation. It didn't sound TOO 80's, you know. But it still had lots of 80's production cheese. Lyrically and vocally I think George Michael is a standout for sure. His end product always bothered me because it always felt forced because of the pretty boy pop star attitude.

George Michael's second record is a weird bid for repectability, eschewing the jumpy rhythms of his previous group Wham! and embracing a "grown up" mid-tempo sound that alternates between melodramatic synths, regal strings and folky acoustic guitars. Missing from these new trappings however, is a little thing called "fun" that made his previous tunes so appealing. Michael wants to be taken seriously, so he tries just a *little* too hard to give his songs some gravitas. The result is gloomy, cloud-covered affair where precious little sunshine gets through. Only the Madchester-inspired beat of "Freedom '90" manages to break the pattern, but on its own it's not enough to counterbalance the self-consciously grim atmosphere on this album.

Tja wel lekker ofzo. Maar laat me over het algemeen niet koud of warm. Erg mid

Passable. George Michael's voice is quite pleasant to listen to and the songs were okay. Probably bordering on three stars, but it dragged just a little here and there, so downgrading this to two.

I listened with a small amount of prejudice, I suppose. Front loaded, this got boring quickly I'm sorry to say. It's quite uptight and world weary.

I kinda get it, and culturally important. But the music really doesn’t do it for me. All a bit cheesy.

Prejudice-free assessment: 1 over the top ballad but I kind of liked it 2 bop 3 boring ballad 4 boring ballad 5 ballad but marginally more interesting 6 this was ok 7 boring ballad 8 dishwater 9 music from the Streets of Rage beach level 10 pointless reprise

one good song, the rest was blah

The opening track, Praying for Time, was a considerably more enjoyable listen than I remember it being, and Freedom is a harmless enough pop song, but a whole album of this stuff just starts to feel a bit… vanilla. There’s a warm, rich production sound, but seemingly no tunes. As an 80s/90s indie pop kid, it was my duty to be sniffy about people like George Michael but you get a lot more forgiving and open minded as you get older. He actually seems like a good guy who led a troubled life and I hear his music differently these days, but this one just doesn’t click with me.

Boy that was a slog to get through. Is the musicality and songwriting bad? No, but it suffers from the ultimate sin of music and entertainment: being boring. Here I will list the good parts of Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, and don't worry, I was not prejudiced coming into this blindly as I could be: Freedom! '90: Best song on the album. Unconventional pop that works is great! Further proof Sturgeon's Law applies to even the best known pop figures with their own "must hear or die" albums. Cowboys and Angels: While my complaints on this album is that for a pop artist, everything is too slow and stripped down. The jazzy atmosphere of Cowboys and Angels works and I wish it could've been the whole album. Then again that smooth jazz shit was done back in the 80s and we needed to LOOK FORWARD in 1990. And uhh Soul Free I think was good. I don't want to hear it again to check though. I can tell this music just isn't for me. I don't think I really hate it hate it to give it a 1, and I don't feel disappointed either. If you're a pop artist and your direction is to get slower and more acoustic/piano involved, it's just not what I'd want from a pop artist. Things should be upbeat, it doesn't need to have pop optimism (boy I really do not like Wham....) but it has to be entertaining. This is simply not that. Good advancements in songwriting from a guy that wanted to prove more than being a pop star? Yes I think he achieves that, but that doesn't make the album any better.

לא כזה אהבתי, היום כמה שירים טובים אבל קצת היה לי בנאלי

It does feel like a cohesive project but just not my style. I just don’t care for slow ballads no matter the artist so he really didn’t have a chance to win me over. I’ve enjoyed his first album and other singles I’ve heard with a bit more speed. Also enjoy the album cover here. Freedom is the big one and it’s good but I think Heal the Pain is my favorite. Rating: 2.4

So I tried to listen without prejudice (and googling). My interest remained for the first two songs, but after that my concentration started to wander and the this became background music. A rather boring album that didn't really evoke any emotions.

Epitome of a 3star album, but the title and atmosphere give this album a lofty social goal that it never lives up to.

4/10

Was ok in places

A box of chocolates. It requires biting into and discarding several to find the few that are absolute favorites.

Except for Freedom it's probably best to wait for Volume 2 and hope for the best.

Para nada mi estilo de música, George Michael fue un gran cantante. Pero nunca he comido conectado con su música. Habría que ver la traducción de las letras para ver si conecto

I tried getting through this but I couldn’t. I like Freedom ‘90 but that’s about it. I think the problem is that the ballads were just not well written in my opinion. He sings well enough. The songs weren’t good and too much production on his voice I think.

I was hoping that more of this would be more fun, upbeat stuff along the lines of Freedom 90 and Faith, but this album was pretty mid-tempo ballad heavy, which I found to be kind of a drag.

3/10 Best songs: Freedom '90, Soul Free With the exception of Freedom '90 and Soul Free, this album is nothing but ballads. None of these songs are actively bad, but they are treacly sweet and painfully boring to boot. Not my cup of tea.

5/10 – Mediocre

It was fine, not something that I would put on myself. Just very plain, surprising that it is on this list.

yawn. And the one good song has been ruined by IASIP