Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

Sometimes, the sophomore slump is overrated. Following the Grammy-winning Faith wouldn’t be easy, but George Michael hunkered down and got serious anyway. Covering Stevie Wonder (“They Won’t Go When I Go”), singing about homelessness (“Praying for Time”) and torpedoing his sex symbol MTV image (“Freedom! ’90”), Michael made a sober, brilliant album still deeply steeped in the tropes of pop music. The world would never hear Vol. 2. Disappointment over his label’s lack of support led to a drawn-out legal battle. His career would emerge on the other side of that fight forever changed.