After the massive success of 1987's FAITH (which sold over 10 million copies in the US, spawned six Top 10 hits, and won the Grammy for "Album of the Year"), expectations for George Michael's follow-up album were almost impossibly high. A long three years after the release of FAITH, volume 1 of LISTEN WITHOUT PREJUDICE finally reached stores in September of 1990 (with the more dance-oriented Volume 2 then-scheduled to follow in June of `91), and it was greeted with mixed reaction. The album was a stark departure from FAITH, with largely acoustic instrumentation and a somber intensity in the lyrics and melodies. Though different from what was expected from him at the time, LISTEN WITHOUT PREJUDICE is, in my opinion, George Michael's best work to date, and was sadly underrated by an audience who wasn't ready for it in 1990. Instead of giving listeners MORE FAITH, Michael decided to do some serious reflection on himself and the world around h...