George Michael courted controversy with his last single Shoot the Dog

The singer has signed to Sony in a deal that is thought to cover his extensive back catalogue.

Michael failed in his court wrangle with Sony in 1993, after accusing it of "professional slavery", but his contract was bought out by Virgin.

Michael, 40, has begun work on his first original album since 1996's Older, set for release in early 2004.

Rob Stringer, Sony Music UK's chairman and chief executive, said: "We are delighted to be working again with one of the greatest recording artists this country has ever produced, who has produced another classic album.

"In a career spanning more than 20 years, George has been responsible for nearly 75 million record sales."

Controversy

The former Wham star had been unhappy with his treatment during his original contract with Sony, embarking on a three month court battle.

After the failure of the court case, Michael recorded two more songs, Outside and As, under the label as part of an agreement to record new material for a greatest hits album.

But the singer has struggled in recent years to emulate the success of his early solo career in the 1990s.

His controversial single Shoot the Dog entered the charts at number 12 in 2002 and saw him suffer a backlash because of its anti-Tony Blair and George Bush stance.