Symphonica
Released
George Michael’s career, seen through a retrospective lens after his too-soon passing, felt like a classic story in ways, from youthful exuberance to reflective experience, with his 2014 album Symphonica inadvertently becoming the concluding celebration of his work. Combining live vocals from the tour of that name with rerecorded orchestral accompaniment, it focused on his long standing love for pop classics in a variety of styles, from Tin Pan Alley to 1990s soul, as well as six of his own songs. It’s just a grand document of performer and audience love both.