21 for 21: #10—George Michael, "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1"

I know many of you at this point are thinking, "Has he lost his mind? George Michael? The Wham! guy? This is a joke, right?" Absolutely not, although I certainly thought so before I listened to the CD that kicks off the top ten of my top 21 favorite CDs in my collection, George Michael's 1990 masterpiece, "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1."

I went through the whole thing with Wham! in the 1980s, from digging their earworm-infested pop ("Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," and don't deny that you listened to it over and over again) and soulful ballads ("Careless Whisper," still a great song). But by the nineties, the group had broken up, with Andrew Ridgeley forgotten and George Michael a punchline.

Then something miraculous happened—Michael, in an attempt to be taken more seriously as a songwriter, wrote one of the best albums of the past thirty years. Every song on this CD is just amazing. Michael's voice is as strong as ever (don't believe me? He's the only singer who ever came close to matching Freddy Mercury's strength when he performed "Someone to Love" at the Mercury tribute concert), but it's the songs themselves that are a true revelation.

Sure, you've probably heard "Freedom 90," the biggest hit single from the album. It's the rest of the songs that reveal the true artist living underneath the pop star exterior. In retrospect, it was still considered career suicide to come out as a gay man in 1990. With the (not at all surprising) truth about Michael's homosexuality now in the open, the songs on this CD are a plea for understanding and acceptance.

Just look at the titles of the tracks: Praying for Time; Freedom 90; They Won't Go When I Go; Something to Save; Cowboys and Angels; Waiting for that Day; Mother's Pride; Heal the Pain; Soul Free; Waiting. George was telling us something for sure; we just weren't ready to listen.

Well, listen (without prejudice) now: