Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990)

Information About the Album

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 is the second solo studio album by George Michael, released on 3 September 1990. It was intended as a two-volume album, with the dance-oriented Vol. 2 originally scheduled to follow in June 1991.

While the album was a success in the United Kingdom, the disappointing U.S. sales led to George’s legal battles against Sony Music, in which he accused the corporation of not fully supporting him as an artist. George sued Sony Music trying to end his contract, but he lost.

Critics saw the album as his attempt to be taken as a serious artist. Rolling Stone said in its review

For the most part the album succeeds in its effort to establish Michael’s seriousness and deliver him from caricature.

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Australian journalist James Rose described the album as “about escaping from the reality Michael has created, or that has been created for him by others; a tricky act when you’re one of the world’s biggest celebrities and there are numerous fortunes riding on your career and that very reality.” He added:
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However, some critics did not agree with the direction of the album. AllMusic.com said:

George Michael’s follow-up to the massive success of Faith found him turning inward, trying to gain critical acclaim as well as sales. Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 is not an entirely successful effort; Michael has cut back on the effortless hooks and melodies that crammed not only Faith but also his singles with Wham!, and his socially conscious lyrics tend to be heavy-handed. But the highlights — the light, Beatlesque harmonies of “Heal the Pain,” the plodding number one “Praying for Time,” and also “Waiting for That Day” as well as the Top Ten “Freedom” — make a case for his talents as a pop craftsman.

Slant Magazine said the album “effectively set his professional downfall into motion:”

George Michael’s multi-platinum solo debut Faith put the former Wham! pin-up in the same league as ‘80s-pop renaissance men like Michael Jackson and Prince. He wrote, performed, and produced almost all of his own material, and his follow-up, the starkly personal Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1, was no exception. In fact, the album simultaneously elevated Michael to a level above his contemporaries and effectively set his professional downfall into motion.

George, however, brushed the criticism aside saying that he had no intention of doing an album similar to Faith.