Twenty Five

The last of three career overviews George Michael released during his lifetime, counting Wham!’s The Final, Twenty-Five is a wide-ranging if not total consideration of his work, only missing some subsequent singles and the Symphonica album. There are a couple of interesting absences – notably “I Want Your Sex,” which he felt over time was simply too much a Prince knockoff – plus a small clutch of new songs, including a rerecording of “Heal the Pain” with Paul McCartney. Especially in its full 3 1/2 hour/3 CD version, it reaffirms his remarkable status as a pop genius.