Critics are just haters - this is a masterpiece

Review Score: (10/10)
I bought this album when it first dropped in the spring of 1996. Five years later, my wife and I STILL have it on rotation. For me, Michael's almost-perfect voice and phrasing, coupled with the mature, American jazz-British soul-Brazilian jazz brew, make this without question one of the top albums of the 1990s. I believe the critics panned the album because of Michael's "hubris" in wanting to be treated as a mature artist as oppose to being locked into his Wham! days (which I enjoyed also). Don't sleep: "Older" is Exhibit A in why you never should take a critic's word at face value. This is a masterpiece.

More Reviews:

• Older signifies a more distinguished look into Michael's tho
• Older (1996)
• All You Need to Know
• Another title lacking strength
• Masterfully done!
• The Best George Michael
• This is The One
• Amazon's reviewer is a hack
• Great 'miserable' CD
• Amazing CD for a former pop sensation
• Excellent album
• SO, SO TALENTED!!!!!!!
• SO VERY TALENTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• A potent release that should have sold more copies
• Sophisticated, Elegant even better
• The soundtrack to a defining moment in my life
• A Tragically Depressing Masterpiece.
• SO GREAT - A MUST HAVE!
• SO TOTALLY GREAT - A MUST HAVE!
• A musical masterpiece!!!!!
• Perfection
• Songwriting at its best !
• Older and Wiser.
• Quinessential George
• Jesus to a child
• George was older & wiser, but his old public didn't care
• Don't underestimate him, this man sings his heart out
• The best album to this date
• Masterpiece!
• Excellent - A Masterpiece
• Smooth Lounge Act
• Not his best work
• A Few Years On, And We Have The Perfect Album
• Never get tired of listening to it
• Puts the 'M' in Mellow.
• Masterpiece
• His best
• An multi-talented artist at his creative peak...
• Spellbound
• This grows on you after awhile
• Fantastic come back and great, soulful music...
• Exceptional
• Excellent
• Sophisticated, mature, graceful and confident album
• Absolutely excellent
• Different Grooves but George still moves.
• MUST HAVE A BRAIN
• beautiful music
• FINALLY GEORGE HAS GROWN UP
• BOOOOOOOOORING.......ZZZZZZZZZZZZ
• HES STILL GOT IT
• Have the guilty feet turned into a guilty heart?
• Not up to GM's high standard
• Awesome
• Heaven sound, life's experiences in music
• Definately his best work.
• George Michael "Older" and at his best!
• Absolutely enthralling
• The more you listen, the better it gets
• IT'S A COLLECTION THAT TOUCHES THE SOUL AND HEART
• His older tunes are superior to "Older."
• Older and Slower, but definitely George.
• Great music
• The British opinion.
• Best album of 1996
• WE SHOULD ALL LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING "OLDER"!!!!!
• This CD is a MUST!
• Older is as brilliant as Faith and Listen without prejudice
• .....................
• My only Michael CD - I haven't stopped playing it for a year
• A greatly overlooked masterpiece .
• His best work ever!
• Underrated CD