Name: Symphonica[Audio CD]
Brand: Island
SKU: 51621388
Price: 9.26 USD
Availability: InStock

Symphonica[Audio CD]

Rating

Album: Symphonica[Audio CD]
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Through	More Info...	0:05
2)	My Baby Just Cares for Me	More Info...	0:02
3)	A Different Corner	More Info...	0:04
4)	Praying for Time	More Info...	0:05
5)	Let Her Down Easy	More Info...	0:04
6)	The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face	More Info...	0:05
7)	Feeling Good	More Info...	0:03
8)	John and Elvis Are Dead	More Info...	0:04
9)	One More Try	More Info...	0:05
10)	Cowboys and Angels	More Info...	0:07
11)	Idol	More Info...	0:04
12)	Brother Can You Spare a Dime	More Info...	0:05
13)	Wild Is the Wind	More Info...	0:04
14)	You've Changed	More Info...	0:04

Album: Symphonica[Audio CD]
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Through	More Info...	0:05
2)	My Baby Just Cares for Me	More Info...	0:02
3)	A Different Corner	More Info...	0:04
4)	Praying for Time	More Info...	0:05
5)	Let Her Down Easy	More Info...	0:04
6)	The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face	More Info...	0:05
7)	Feeling Good	More Info...	0:03
8)	John and Elvis Are Dead	More Info...	0:04
9)	One More Try	More Info...	0:05
10)	Cowboys and Angels	More Info...	0:07
11)	Idol	More Info...	0:04
12)	Brother Can You Spare a Dime	More Info...	0:05
13)	Wild Is the Wind	More Info...	0:04
14)	You've Changed	More Info...	0:04

Performer Notes

Personnel: Phil Palmer, Ben Butler (guitar); Henry Hey (piano); David Finck (double bass); Mark McLean (drums); Lea Mullen (percussion); James Jackman (programming); Lucy Jules, Lincoln Jean-Marie, Jay Henry, Shirley Lewis (background vocals).
Photographer: Caroline True.
Gestating for a long time -- at least two years, although George Michael hasn't released an album for a decade -- Symphonica is a curious way for the pop singer to return to action. A live album recorded on his 2011-2012 tour, Symphonica showcases a singer on the supper club circuit, trading in a few of his big hits, all middle-brow favorites ("Praying for Time," "One More Try," "A Different Corner") and spending a lot of time on songs the audience knows and love, whether it's Ewan MacColl's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," Anthony Newley's "Feeling Good," or the American Popular Songbook standard "My Baby Just Cares for Me." Michael does indulge in some personal favorites -- -he tackles Terence Trent D'Arby's "Let Her Down Easy" and the deep Elton John track "Idol" -- but the context is something familiar: a popular singer luxuriating in a symphonic setting. He doesn't push the limits of this template, choosing to enjoy the lush surroundings, so this winds up slightly anti-climactic: Michael is in good form but he's coasting, doing no more than he needs to, satisfying fans without surprising. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[A] swank live set of classic makeout ballads. Some are vintage - the jazz standard 'My Baby Just Cares for Me,' 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' -- and some come from his own songbook."