Classic slice of singer’s upbeat pop is imbued with poignancy

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It is so great to hear that voice again, smooth and melodious, softly singing a gentle melody across a billowing soundscape of ambient synths and guitars. “I was leaning at the glass / Dreaming of a sunnier day that never came,” croons George Michael, on a new single, This Is How (We Want You To Get High). From a dreamy, melancholic opening, the song’s mood quickly picks up as it evolves into a sleek, funky groove, with Michael optimistically proclaiming: “I will always try to get my life together!”

Some of the lyrics are imbued with unintended poignancy in the wake of Michael’s death in 2016 aged 53, but the mood is largely upbeat. With Michael playing the burbling bassline, an acoustic rhythm guitar plays off a percussive rhythm track, while string synths swirl around.

Multi-tracking his own voice, Michael offers a slyly witty account of cycles of addiction in a cascade of call and response vocals. Rather than a confessional account, the subject is how parents can unwittingly influence children. There are verses about drinking, smoking and bullying.

The song conjures a blend of social commentary subtly integrated with easy-on-the-ear pop that will be immediately familiar. Like Wham! classic Young Guns and solo hits Praying For Time and Spinning The Wheel, it is a message song that wears its message lightly. In the end though, there is something almost unbearably sad about the way it folds back to the ripples of Enya-style guitars and synths.

It is a lovely slice of classic George Michael pop, lent added emotional weight by the knowledge that we are listening to a voice from beyond the grave.

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