Unplugged

By 1990, pop phenomenon-turned-solo megastar George Michael was ready to reveal more of his introspection and social conscience. <i>Listen Without Prejudice</i> is an intimate and beautiful album that employs aching balladry to despair for a conflict-torn world (“Praying for Time”, “Mothers Pride”) and fuses hushed folk with James Brown to mourn lost love (“Waiting for That Day”). Even the gloriously uplifting gospel-dance sound of “Freedom! ’90” houses a cautionary tale about fame’s soul-sapping effects. Leaning largely on his 1996 album <i>Older</i>, the stripped-back <i>MTV Unplugged</i> section of this remastering emphasises what an arrestingly soulful singer and songwriter Michael was.