You gotta have "Faith"...

It's hard to believe it's been almost 25 years since the release of George Michael's hugely successful "Faith" album. From 1987 to early 1989, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing one of the many hit songs released from the album: the naughty (at the time) "I Want Your Sex", the jazzy "Kissing a Fool", the soulful ballad "One More Try", the uptempo "Monkey" and of course, the Elvis-inspired title track. The stunning success of "Faith" was something Michael could never top, and indeed, it was too successful that Michael retreated from publicity and videos (for his next album, he refused to appear in any videos or promotional material). While Wham had brought Michael worldwide fame, the success of "Faith" was something even Wham had never experienced.

Listening to the new deluxe version of "Faith", which was originally supposed to be released last September but delayed because of Michael's recent stint in jail stemming from drug charges, it's easy to understand why this album was such a hit over two decades ago. Aside from the somewhat dated '80s production, the songs still sound fresh because of Michael's strong songwriting. When he was at his peak, Michael had a knack for writing hit songs. Also, during his peak, Michael had a great voice. The soulful stylings he brought to "Father Figure" and "One More Try" only remind me that his voice has declined in recent years. (I saw him in Toronto in 2008 and he could barely hit the high notes).

The new deluxe version of "Faith", along with remastered sound, comes with extra bonus tracks, including remixes of "Monkey" and "Hard Day", instrumental versions of "Faith" and "Kissing A Fool" as well some live tracks. It also comes with a DVD of all the videos released from "Faith", which makes sense because the stylish videos helped surge sales of the album, particularly "I Want Your Sex" which, in 1987, was quite racy and controversial, but in today's video age dominated by Katy Perry's "California Girls" or Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" and "Alejandro", would seem tame by today's standards.

Perhaps because of Michael's recent stint in jail, the reissue of "Faith" is not getting much attention. Which is a shame, because it is one of the biggest albums released in the past 25 years. Hopefully, Sony/BMG will lavish the reissue treatment on Michael's follow-up "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1" which was not as successful as "Faith" but just as rewarding.