MICHAEL'S POPULARITY IN U.S. A REVERSAL OF FORTUNE.(PREVIEW)

Byline: RENEE GRAHAM Boston Globe

When it was released last month, George Michael's album ``Patience'' debuted at the top of the charts in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden and England. It remains to be seen whether Michael can duplicate even a hint of that success here -- if the album is released in the United States at all.

So far, there's no stateside street date for Michael's first album in eight years. (Currently, the album is only available here as an import on Sony Music UK.) It's a remarkable reversal of fortune for someone who once was arguably the biggest pop star in the world.

At the sparkling height of his career in 1987, Michael's first solo album, ``Faith,'' went on to sell 10 million copies and spawned a handful of chart-topping …