Older is the album that many observers initially believed Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 to be — a relentlessly serious affair, George Michael’s bid for artistic credibility. It’s an album that makes Listen Without Prejudice sound like Faith. Michael has dispensed with the catchy, frothy dance-pop numbers that brought him fame, concentrating on stately, pretentious ballads — even “Fastlove,” the album’s one dance track, lacks the carefree spark of his earlier work. Although Michael’s skills as a pop craftsman still shine through — several songs are well-constructed ballads that rank with his best material — his earnestness sinks the album. It is one thing to be mature and another to be boring. Too often, Michael mistakes slight melodies for mature craftsmanship and Older never quite recovers. When melodies do pop up, he doesn’t deliver them with enough force to make an impact, and the album slowly disappears as a result.
★商業與評價大獲全勝的冠軍專輯
★6 首單曲皆入英國金榜TOP 3 席次，創下1 千8 百萬張，6 白金銷售紀錄的個人第三張專輯
★收錄”Jesus to a Child”、”It Doesnt Really Matter”、”You Have Been Loved”、”Older”、”Fastlove” 等真摯動人歌曲
發行於1996 年《Order》專輯是喬治麥可個人歌唱生涯高峰；光是在英國一地便創下1 千8 百萬張，6 白金的銷售紀錄，排行紀錄一樣亮眼，包括”Jesus to a Child”、”It Doesnt Really Matter”、”You Have Been Loved”、”Fastlove”、”Spinning the Wheel”、”Star People ’97″等6 首單曲皆入英國金榜TOP 3 席次。《Order》的成功，讓6 年前發行” Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1″時的諸多不順，一並煙消雲散，象徵喬治麥可在歌壇無可撼動的巨星地位。爵士樂是《Order》專輯的風格主軸，大量的銅管樂與弦樂的應用，讓整張專輯呈現出穩重和諧的氣韻，唱腔的表現上更突出他駕馭靈魂樂的驚人能力。冠軍單曲”Jesus To A Child”的真摯動人，” Fastlove”的放克時尚、”Older”的爵士風情，” Spinning The Wheel”的Trip-Hop迷離，” It Doesn’t Really Matter”的都會節奏藍調情懷，都是這張專輯無可挑剔的亮點。
