George Michael promised his fans some news this month, and here it is... the release of a new album in March.
'Symphonica', his sixth solo album, is the fruits of his tour of the same name between 2011 and 2012, and has been produced by Phil Ramone, as well as George himself, naturally.
The set list from the tour, which had to rearranged when the singer was taken ill with pneumonia following his first round of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London, includes rearrangements of his classic tunes 'A Different Corner', 'Praying for Time' and 'Cowboys and Angels', as well as his own impressive interpretations of hits such as Rihanna's 'Russian Roulette'.
The album and tour represent the musician's long-expressed desire to perform alongside a full orchestra, a test that not many pop stars could pull off, but one George Michael does with aplomb. HuffPostUK were at George's first night of the Symphonica tour in London in 2011.
'Symphonica' will be released on 17 March, alongside lead single, ‘Let Her Down Easy’ on iTunes/digital platforms.
‘Symphonica’ will be released on a hardback deluxe, 17-track CD edition; a standard 14-track CD; a standard 14-track digital version and on pure audio Blu-Ray through Virgin EMI/Universal Music Group
To coincide with the announcement of ‘Symphonica’, today, 20 January, George is donating a track from the album – ‘Praying For Time’ - for free download. Full details can be found on www.georgemichael.com.