Sometimes the clothes do not make the man, or: RIP George Michael

I've often wished that George Michael had just let go of whatever demons there were and made the proper follow-up to Faith, one of the greatest (if not the greatest) pop albums of the '80s. Listen Without Prejudice was a really good album, even if the fun had gone out of it. But, while it arguably has his best composition in "Freedom 90," it didn't feel like the proper successor to Faith. As the years went by and albums like Older and Songs from the Last Century slowly emerged, another pop opus clearly wasn't going to happen. As deep and impressive as his legacy of songs is, it still seems to me there was untapped potential. If he had ridden that imperial phase skillfully, he'd be on the short list with the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince and Whitney. He currently sits at #37 on my most-played artists list.

The late-period single "White Light" seems rather poignant now.