Symphonica

OH MY GOODNESS! Where do I begin? I have been a lifetime lover of George and all his music. SUCH a big fan, that when I heard about the Symphonica Tour, I booked tickets to fly and see him in Madrid, Barcelona and Amsterdam - all the way from Seattle, WA. These songs bring back such amazing moments from those live shows. To know that he almost lost his life TWICE in the last few years and yet, STILL sings like an angel & performs with such passion and zest! His tone and perfection touches my soul (and I am not religious).Through is a favorite song on this album because that was the opener for George's show. All the anticipation, sitting in the audience, staring at that red curtain... and then you hear him. That voice... that magical, perfect voice. Before we can see his beautiful face, we can hear him. And it gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. Lovely.This album encapsulates how great George sings live. He changes classic songs of both his own, as well as other artists, to keep them unique and relevant. My favorite cover is Going To A Town. That song was powerful to see in person, with the word LOVE burning in the background. Such a wonderful delivery, different than Rufus Wainright's original. Brother Can You Spare a Dime and My Baby Just Cares for Me are upbeat and so much fun. They are great songs to accompany an orchestra / big band. Another favorite is John & Elvis Are Dead. The background visuals from the live performance stay with me when I hear him sing this GM original. Powerful images & fascinating lyrics.My only wish is that Rihanna's Russian Roulette & Amy Winehouse's Love is a Losing Game could be on this masterpiece. But I am sure there were legalities and royalties and copyright issues....... I also would have loved to have George's new song about Kenny on the album. Where I Hope You Are has not yet been released and I found it beautiful during his concert.Overall, this album is magnificent. At 50 years old, George Michael has proved over and over again that he is truly talented and a legendary performer. He constantly delivers to his fans. He reinvents himself just enough to keep us guessing but always stays true to his roots as a perfectionist in the musical realm. I have ordered copies of this album for my mom, my sister and my friend. It transcends age demographics with something for everyone. I absolutely LOVE this album and everything that it represents!!!!! BRAVO!

I've been looking forward to receiving a copy of this recording of George Michael's 2011/2012 `Symphonica' tour for some time. I only saw George live once, when he toured the States in the late 2000s, but it was an excellent show. "Symphonica" is an excellent album, but you need to be aware what it is before you purchase it.The Symphonica Tour was an orchestral tour and you're not going to be hearing "Faith," "Freedom" or really any of George's pop/dance hits. What you will hear are several of George's ballads and a number of standards. As long as you are aware of this, you'll likely enjoy this album. George's tunes include "Through," "Praying for Time," "John and Elvis Are Dead," "One More Try," "Cowboys and Angels" and a very welcome and fantastic version of "Different Corner" from Wham's final album. Probably the fastest tune on the album is a rousing rendition of "Feeling Good." My personal favorite is George's new song, a cover of "Let Her Down Easy," an old Terence Trent D'Arby tune. As a long time Elton John fan, I also really enjoy George's version of "Idol" from Elton's `Blue Moves.'I only have two complaints about the album. The first is: there were several other songs in his setlists that I really would have liked to have been on the album, possibly a deluxe edition. Prior setlists included "True Faith," "Roxanne," "Kissing a Fool," "Going to Town," "It Doesn't Really Matter," "Russian Roulette," "You Have Been Loved," "Love is a Losing Game," "Where I Hope You Are," "Song to the Siren," "Recluse," and "You and I."My second complaint is related to the first, this album direly needs some "lighter fare" to break it up. I find listening to it from start to finish a little difficult given the solemnity of most of the tunes. The actual tour included a number of songs which would have served this purpose well, including an encore medley of "Amazing/I'm Your Man/ Freedom 90," as well as versions of "Waiting for That Day," "Star People" and "White Light." Slipping in one or two of these songs would have really perfected this album. That said, I still think it is worth five stars and likely to be a favorite for any George Michael fan.

This CD is out of this world FABULOUS!!! Such beautiful music... unbelievable voice...soothing. wonderful songs with a completely unexpected genre of music. The best singer with a fantastic vocal range. The musicians have to be the finest in the world. I am hooked! Don't let this one go by.

I'll admit right out of the gate that I must have slept through the 80s. It wasn't until I found the "Faith" CD at a thrift shop that I knew much of anything about George Michael's music. I spent $1.00 on the used CD and immediately started listening to it in my car. I was hooked on the tunes I knew by himl, like "Father Figure," of course. This 1998 Grammy Award winning CD led me to purchase "Symphonica." I could go on at great length about how fabulous this CD is (and it is!) but suffice it to say that here is a talent who has "grown into his skin" and is very comfortable with who he is. This is reflected in the way he approaches his singing and songs. If I were going to try to define his style, it's a cross between R&B and jazz. The tune that sealed the deal for me and made me thrilled that I had purchased this album was "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." Michael's gentle, tender, heartfelt interpretation of the song is nothing short of inspired beyond words. I could listen to it all day - and probably will. Some rock stars spend their lives being who they were when they were young, but this one has accepted his maturity and demonstrates it with style and grace. Buy it, listen to it, tell all your friends about it!