Older

George Michael spent five and a half years locked in a legal battle with Sony Music before he could release Older, his third solo album, on 13 May 1996. Virgin Records and Michael's own Aegean label put it out in Europe, while the American release a day later became the first album on DreamWorks Records. He dedicated two years to recording it, and the result is a slower, more serious set than his earlier pop work: 11 tracks steeped in contemporary R&B, soul, and jazz, with smoky tempos and lyrics about love, loss, and grown-up regret. The album was a commercial force in Europe, especially in the UK, where it spun off six top three singles in two years, a record at the time. Those sales led to a reissue called Older & Upper eighteen months later, adding remixes and bonus material.[edit]