Customer Reviews

Faith

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Following the dissolution of Wham!, there was no doubt that its lead singer, George Michael was going to be a solo star, what with "A Different Corner". Sure enough, six singles from this album hit the Top Five, with four #1s, garnering him a Best Album Grammy. It also showed a maturation point for Michael, where adult contemporary radio could play his songs instead of teeny-bopper fare from Wham!

"Faith" became George Michael's first #1 hit, and after its inauspicious church organ beginning to add to the theme title, jumps into a racing skiffle rhythm. Deon Estus, Wham!'s bassist, lends strong support here and other songs. I heard Limp Bucket's rendition and rolled my eyes; they ruined a great song.

"Father Figure" is an effective R&B ballad with gospel-tinged chorus sung by George Michael and Shirley Lewis. Another #1 hit for him.

"I Want Your Sex" got involved into quite a bit of controversy due to the title and the supposedly obscene lyrics. Originally on the Beverly Hills Cop 2 soundtrack, many radio stations here would NOT play this song, yet it peaked at #2 on the Hot Singles Chart. It's another case of "People, read the lyrics. Duh!" On one hand, yes, it's a case of the man begging for it, but another part dwells on the arguments he makes: "It's natural, it's chemical, it's logical, habitual" And a message here is aimed at PMRC types as well as the girl: "What's your definition of dirty, baby? What do you call pornography?" Part I of this song was the single with the thumping funky beat, while Part II-Brass In Love adds layers of piano and brass while maintaining the same melody.

"One More Time" is one of two great ballads. With keyboards giving an eerie atmosphere, say a more poppy "Whiter Shade Of Pale" but without the Bachian motif of the original. Michael really puts the most of his emotional self into this song than any here.

Two non-single songs here show Michael tackling social ills. "Hand To Mouth" soberly tells two stories of lives denied the American dream, someone who finally blows hit top and shoots out at people, the other a woman who has no one to turn to and becomes a prostitute. The criticism of Reaganite America is strong here: "I believe in the arms of America/I believe in the land of the free/But no one told me/that the gods believe in nothing/so with empty hands I pray."

The other, "Look At Your Hands", is on one hand a vengeful slap at a lost lover, but has fallen into an abusive marriage, domestic violence being a theme here.

By the time the anti-drug song "Monkey" came out, Faith had been on the charts for a full year, and the single went to #1. It has a pop-funk beat like "I Want Your Sex" and it's okay but I got the impression that Sony was leaning on Michael as a name. "Hey, it's by him, it'll sell well. Who cares which song it is?"

Now the piano cafe-jazz ballad "Kissing A Fool" is a different story. This was the last single released from this album, and . The recent Michael Buble rendition pales in comparison due to the soaring richness of George Michael's voice. Get the original, people. The sage wisdom of human nature is shown here: "People, you can never change the way they feel/Better let them do what they will/For they will, if you let them."

Part 3 of "I Want Your Sex", titled A Last Request, takes on a more devious tone, as the man waits for "that gin and tonic to go to your head" because in the end, "There's only so much a gentlemen can stand."

A landmark 80's pop album and considering George Michael's later troubles overshadowed his talent, a vital second step for him.

George Michael split from Wham! and released his first solo record, "Faith," in 1987. "Faith" was a massive hit, ultimately selling over 10 millions copies in the United States. Even the Grammys embraced George - awarding him with the coveted Album of the Year for "Faith."

A string of terrific singles followed, starting with "I Want Your Sex," which was also included in the movie "Beverly Hills Cop II." The song was considered pretty racy at the time and ended up being banned by many radio stations; nevertheless, it soared all the way to #2 on the Billboard Top 100. The next single was "Faith," which spent an amazing 4 weeks in #1. Powered by a catchy guitar intro, it's become George's signature song, no doubt aided by the memorable video which focused mostly on his rear.

Three subsequent singles also hit #1. "Father Figure" (2 weeks) and "One More Try" (3 weeks) are both atmospheric ballads; whereas "Monkey" (2 weeks) is perhaps the most danceable song on the CD. The final single was the retro-sounding "Kissing a Fool" (#5), which sounds like it could have been recorded by Frank Sinatra three decades earlier.

Ultimately, 6 of the 9 songs (the 11 tracks include a remix of "Hard Day" and an alternate version of "I Want Your Sex") were released as singles! The three other songs on "Faith" are also solid, and "Hard Day" in particular could easily have been a hit. In sum, "Faith" is first-rate 80s pop that stands up remarkably well. Unfortunately, George initiated a prolonged battle with his record company and changed his artistic direction after "Faith." His subsequent records have been more serious and less successful.

I picked up "Faith" on cassette tape last year, and have been obsessed with it ever since. Never before have I encountered a sound as unique and amazing as "Faith"; its blend of pop, rock, techno, funk, and who knows how many other styles is as ingenious as it is inspired.

"I Want Your Sex, pts. 1 & 2" is the standout (amoung many standout songs). Its blend of classic 80s synth-pop, jazz, and rock is complimented by its delightfully written lyrics (not as dirty as you think they are!).

"Faith" and "Father Figure" are standouts as well, featuring great vocal performances by George Michael along with strong arrangements. My other favorites are "Hard Day," "Hand to Mouth," "Monkey," and "Last Request (I Want Your Sex pt. 3)."

This is classic 80s at its best. Every song is solid, nearly all of them are standout tracks, and even though you may eventually get tired of 'em, they stick with you forever. You'll be amazed by the quality of this album, if you haven't discovered it yourself already.

Easily one of the best of the 80s (and with the Grammys to prove it).

My Grade: A

When people look back at George Michael's days with Wham!, it is either with disdain or as the beginning of a career in pop music that still shows some promise if the public will just accept it. True, George may have been both the brains & brawn behind Wham!, but he hadn't been accepted as his own man yet. So when he officially went solo in 1986, he set about conquering the world & proving that he wasn't one-half of Wham!, he was George Michael.

FAITH hit the shelves in the summer of 1987 & naturally took the charts & the world by storm. With an album that would eventually spawn 6 top 5 hits (a record not beaten until Janet Jackson did with RHYTHM NATION) & sell 10+ million copies, anyone would be a fool to say George didn't deserve it. The music was catchy & fresh & of course, George was not a bad looker either. While he would soon rebel against the things that he said held him back as an artist, I'm sure during the blockbuster success of FAITH, he wasn't complaining all that much.

The first song to reach the public was the controversial "I Want Your Sex". Featured in the movie BEVERLY HILLS COP II, the video for the song was only shown on MTV after midnight & in the now-AIDS-conscious time that was the 1980s, a song about wanting to have sex was more than a bit daring. George would defend it by saying it was about monogamy. You could see his point, but really the scorching nature of the song would have you believe otherwise. Either way, the song peaked at #2 on the charts, but wouldn't be the last we'd hear of George & FAITH.

The title track was a rockabilly-inspired number that was a far cry from, say, "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go". The change in sound proves that George really did have some more aces up his sleeve than just a dance-floor one. "Faith" topped the charts for 4 weeks & today remains a classic not even blemished by Limp Bizkit's sacrilegious "cover" of it. Three more songs would reach the pop summit: the sultry yet heartfelt "Father Figure" (later sampled by P.M. Dawn on their hit "Looking Through Patient Eyes & even later by LL Cool J on his hit "Father"); the soulful "One More Try" (which actually topped the R&B charts!) & the wonderfully funky "Monkey" (after it was remixed from its rather limp album version by Jam & Lewis).

The remaining songs on the album are equally pointed towards the dance floor with one exception. "Hard Day", "Hand To Mouth" (later covered by Joan Baez, no kidding!) & "Look At Your Hands" were overlooked in all the hoopla surrounding the songs that became hits, but they show the wonderful way George has of getting people to dance. These songs would become bigger club hits than chart singles.

Finally, we have the album's 6th & last top 5 hit, "Kissing A Fool". Probably the best-written song on the album, this jazzy ballad features one of George's best-ever vocal performances & shockingly only reached #5 on the charts. My guess is because it was released more than a year after FAITH first hit the stores, people were starting to grow tired of the album from overexposure. But the song is still an overlooked classic & the title to an equally-underrated romantic comedy.

With a blockbuster album & his face plastered on girls' bedroom walls all over the world, George Michael should have been & was probably rightfully happy with his accomplishments. But I guess George wanted to prove that FAITH only scratched the surface of what he could do. He must have thought the only way to prove to his fans new & old that he was about much more was to break from his past & virtually dismiss any of the adulation he had won courtesy of FAITH.

Unfortunately, George's record label Columbia didn't feel the same way & failed to stand behind his follow-up, 1990's LISTEN WITHOUT PREJUDICE, VOL. 1, as much as they did its predecessor. It would be the beginning of a long stand-off between George & Columbia that would win him his freedom, but alienate his audience. By the time 1996's OLDER came out, George's old fans had moved on to other things & to them, George was a relic of the past. But he hasn't given up, for there has been talk of a new album coming out sometime in 2002. The first single is said to be titled "Freeek", so perhaps George is returning to the winning way he has always had with dance tunes. Until that appears, we'll have an album like FAITH, which is truly a 1980s classic, to both bring back memories & remind us that George Michael is an artist whose talents are not to be underestimated.

This CD is pretty darn good, and has stood the test of time, at least for me. There are many good songs on this. I heard "Father Figure" on the radio today for the first time in a while, and it still sent chills down my spine. I think that is just a lovely song, and it brought back special memories for me. I also particularly like the last song on the CD, "A Last Request". I can still picture most of the videos George Michael made for songs from this album, the "I want your sex" and "Father Figure" videos stand out most in my mind. I was (obviously) younger and more naive back in the late 80s when this came out, so I thought George Michael really liked girls back then. All that aside, this is still a great album, and I highly recommend it.

OK, so maybe not to all people, but in addition to the urban hip of Janet Jackson's "Control" disc, this was THE album of my mid-teens.

George Michael was one of the pioneers of the artist as a package. He wrote his own music, produced it, then sang it; after all that, he created catchy, highly stylized music videos (also a strength of Janet's and Madonna's) to present the song the way he envisioned it to be. Many artists of the 80's (and, unsurprisingly, today) stuck to the format of the time, not taking risks and not advancing the art form we call pop music.

George, however, seemed to have an uncanny ability to know what the pop music-buying audiences WOULD want, and created just that.

Faith, as a whole, is a diverse set of musical genres, an obvious reflection of George's appreciation for all types of music. There are few who couldn't recognize almost every song on this album from the first few notes - the guitar on 'Faith,' the synth on 'Father Figure,' the lush piano on 'Kissing a Fool,' and the electronic 'primates' on 'Monkey'.

He stirred controversy when, at the 1988 American Music Awards, he won not only for best Pop vocal, but best R&B album, a move that demonstrated for the first (and, to my knowledge, only) time that white boys CAN have soul.

While his career since has been less impressive from a numbers standpoint, George Michael was and continues to be one of the most talented and engaging songwriters and performers of our time. This, and most of his other material, is timeless.

{ INTROLUDE } Year: 1987. Place: US. Everybody, ok... almost everybody, were crazy for Michael Jackson , Prince as still known as Prince, Madonna ( at the time of no black crowes, red geisha costumes, etc. ) and this recently broken-up superduo, Wham ! Everybody, ok... almost everybody, predicted that both George Michael and Andrew what's-his-face would sooner or later vanish from the scene. Well.... they were only half right. Law of averages has it that a cute-looking singer / front man who emerged from a lightweight pop duo, then released his first solo album which certainly was expected by self-proclaimed gurus, critics, etc. to either be something quite like those Wham! days stuffs or something that could be a hit or a flop but for sure, in all cases, would disappear in a short period of time to come. Well... in Michael's case it couldn' t be MORE wrong.... { THE ALBUM } Faith: The representative of Elvis-esque style of music in 80's... Father Figure: The sexy heartfelt, seductive ballad that shows both sensitive, feminine side of Michael and strong influence from American R&B music and, for me for some reason, some kind of Arabian flava too... Monkey: The funkiest number in this album with full extent of utmost satisfaction guaranteed ( For those who like TOO FUNKY, you will for sure LOVE this one )... One More Try: For those skeptics who have reasonable doubts in Michael's vocal talents, listen to his angelic sound of vocals and be enlightened by his stunning crooning talents normally reserved by those Afro-american talents only... Kissing A Fool: Blue-jazz style that you will love singing along. Oh.. by the way, if i' m not mistaken, Michael played bass on his own to this song too... I Want Your Sex: The most UNFAIRLY controversial, state-of-the art R&B song containing verses like " Sex is natural / Sex is good / Not everybody does it / But everybody should..."... Hard Day: Shep Pettibone's Mix with hip hop flava that shows you that you don' t have to be in mid-90's to love hip hop; you could be in mid-80's when Run DMC ruled and still love hip hop by a non-black hip hop talent... Look at Your Hands: Who says you could find great piano / keyboard solo in Billy Joel's or Elton John's only ?; you'll find it right here too. Hand to Mouth: Sarcastic yet intelligent lyrics. Lovely yet not too loud beat. Great, manipulated sound of vocals. Great bridge with great, corresponding keyboard on the background. What more could you ask for? Just be my guest and feel free to dance. { The Final } With more than 5 top 10 hits from only one album on the most prestigious music chart in the planet, namely, Billboard Hot 100 Single Chart, the record set as the first solo male singer whose more than 1 million copies of album in CD format had been sold in US alone, the stunning, WOWs results of Grammy Awards ( using former numbers of categories )and American Music Award, the latter of which included that / those category (ies ) traditionally reserved for Afro-american talents only, this album is like a state-of-art Greatest Hits one. The only main difference is that you don' t have to wait for the record company to compile all songs from several albums by the same artist into one Hits album... Michael, with no doubts, proved that you can create an almost, if not, perfect album herein full of only great numbers only if you are as talented as he was ( is )... And to do so, you don' t have to be aggressive, anti-social, depressed type singing about racism, semitism, hatred, suicidal, etc. either. For those of you who have never listend to songs in this album, chances are you are now in your early teens and / or did not buy Ladies & Gentlemen ( his Hits ) either. I DO RECOMMEND this album for you, if you like quality pop music in 90's you will also at least enjoy some, if not all, songs in this album. Have a nice day of Listening Without Prejudice. Shin H. Piyakulkunakon ( MICHAEL )

Considering the fact that this album was released in 1987, at a time when so much popular music is hilariously dated now, George Michael has succeeded. Not only does "Faith" hold up, it sounds just as fresh as any pop music released today. In fact, it's better than most of today's pop music.
I'm not really a George Michael fan, but I'll admit many of the tracks from this album are very, very catchy. "Rolling Stone" dubbed Michael the "Elton John of the 1980's," and I think it's safe to say he pretty much was. Airy ballads like "One More Try" and "Father Figure" rank up there with anything Elton John did, and "Monkey" has a fantastical funky melody that you just want to dance to.
"Faith" was a massive hit when released, hitting #1 on the Hot 100 Album Charts, and gave Michael four #1 hits (the aforementioned songs and the title track), as well as a Grammy for Album of the Year. It recently achieved diamond status in the U.S. (ten million copies sold), making it one of the best-selling albums of its time.
Granted, this album was released before my time, but I'm familiar with 1987-era music. Most of it (the new wave-oriented rock and glam) screams out with a dated, synthed-up 80's sound. But "Faith" does not. This is simply catchy pop music at its best. It's not ment to be taken seriously. But can't non-serious albums be remembered? Of course they can. Anyone remember that thing called "Thriller"?

(I write this review in hopes that George Michael himself might see it and handle a specific request I mention here which will make his already-classic album even better. Or at least *I* personally think so, anyway. I normally don't write reviews in such a fashion, but as I grew up listening to this man from the beginning it sort of feels like I'm dropping a note to an old friend in a way, if you know what I mean.)

What's that, I hear everybody on here who loves this album to pieces as much as I do (and George as well?) say? Why am I only giving it four stars after I grew up with it, just as I have been growing up with this ingenious one-man music machine's material ever since "Bad Boys" hit the radio? Why give one less star to an album I rushed out to buy on its very first day of release and then proceeded to play to death for the rest of my life? Why do so when a song such as "Kissing A Fool" makes me break down and bawl like a child every single time I hear it simply due to its overwhelming beauty? How can I commit such an offense as to not give it five stars?

Well, I must admit, rating it with only four *does* hurt me personally--it's a fun, beautiful, moving, moody and all-around breathtaking album starring the man whom I feel has the best male vocals in the business right now...(man, I would *die* to be able to sing like that!) ...but there's only one reason, and one reason alone, why I do not give it a full five. And I keep hoping and praying ("gotta have faith", if you will) that this reason might be changed... please bear with me as I explain...

You see, before this album came out the notorious single "I Want Your Sex" was a hit--and it had a 12" extended single which I eagerly purchased as soon as I could get my hands on it. That extended single is, of course, parts 1, 2 and 3 combined in their entirety.

Now, when the cassette (which was considered the big norm format in those days--the CD wasn't quite "huge" yet) was released, George decided to make the cassette even better by adding all three sections of "I Want Your Sex" as well as a remix of "Hard Day" (which weren't contained on the so-called "normal" vinyl version), thus balancing out the two cassette's sides into being as even in length each as possible. A great idea for the time, except for one thing... the third section of "I Want Your Sex" was lopped off from the rest of its two accompanying parts and placed instead at the end of side two.

Now, of course, it could be argued that George wanted to make sure the album ended on a pleasant note if he couldn't end the album with "Kissing A Fool" with all the extras added, and I'm all for that. The man has the right to market his album the way he personally desires.

But these days, with the CD now being the norm and everything, it simply no longer works--take it from me, the entire "I Want Your Sex" composition works best as a complete whole, and I never got used to its being "pieced up" in this manner--especially when "Part 2" ends with a fadeout ruining my favourite part of the whole portion! (The dramatic horn climax, that is. I would have accepted it much better if the fadeout had occured *after* that part had ended--during the moment when all you hear is the percussion.)

So I keep hoping that maybe someday George will oversee a re-released version of this wonderful CD which will finally feature the whole "I Want Your Sex" composition in its entirety. Or even just releasing the extended single itself on CD would be fine if nothing else.

But I still love your album, George. I really do, I cherish it just as I know I'll always continue to. But please... can something be done about the above sometime for us? It would be much appreciated.

George Micheal. Two words that have defined music in such an enormous way. Faith is undeniably his best album. The catchy pop groove, title track, Faith is a classic, and probably his most popular song. No. 2, Father Figure, is one of my favorite songs and a very powerfull ballad that sounds new today. I Want your Sex, the scandilous funky hit is amazing! Another on of my favorites, One More Try is a ballad that shows Georges' amazing use of his voice and his ability to sing. Even if your not a big George fan, if you listen to this album, you'll be hooked! I PROMISE!