Great album review - especially the last half - please share

[lovemj4everandever]

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Let me first start by saying this probably is not an album Michael Jackson would have put out if he were living. Jackson was pop music's pinnacle of perfectionism, and production was never a hair shy of pristine.  On the other hand, it's a testament to The Man's undeniable versatility and creative genius.  Jackson has songwriter credits on eight of the ten tracks, co-producer credits on five, and they are undeniably Michael Jackson songs.

"Behind the Mask" is a sure-fire hit, that screams funkiness, and highlights his killer bad boy perfect vocals of the 80s.  It is sure to get the world rockin' when it hits radio stations; magical music, unlike much of what is on the airwaves today. "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" is an edgy rock tune produced by Lenny Kravitz and features Kravitz on guitar.

 "(I Like) The Way You Love Me" is a ballad that mesmerizes with Jackson singing in tenor for this track. "Hollywood Tonight" is a solid hit with Jackson's classic vocals in the alto range. His most recently recorded track "Best of Joy" captures Jackson singing in soprano at 50 years old and he still sounds as brilliant as ever, delivering a message of eternal love.  
 
Three of the tracks feature Jackson lyrics directed at the media, one of his recurring lyrical themes.  The track "Monster" is one such track where Jackson is asking the papparrazi to hold up a mirror and take a good look at the reflection.

In a somewhat bizarre twist, two of the tracks, "Monster" and "Breaking News", hint at Jackson returning to haunt the media they way they haunted him in life.  "Hold My Hand" -  a duet with Akon - recorded in 2008, is a guaranteed hit being an anthem song of unity and love, one of Jackson's spoken themes throughout his life.  One of the more emotional tracks is the tender ballad "Much Too Soon." It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but the voice is honest and pure, hovering between alto, tenor and soprano.

For the younger generation and the very young who may not fully understand or even be knowledgeable in Jackson's musical genius and creativity, the album "Michael" should be a musical education for you.  What made Jackson so incredibly unique was his ability to simulate every instrument with his voice.  He often times would record each instrument with his voice as a demo for musicians to capture with their instruments, or sometimes "voice" the instrumental parts to them in the studio.  Even more incredible, is that on many of Jackson's tracks that are a part of his legacy, there often times were actually few instruments; believe it or not,  those instrumental sounds were made by the magic of his vocal cords and released as the finished product.  It's something that had never been done before and likely will never be done in the future, save a miracle of finding another human that possesses that kind of talent.  More commonly known is that most vocal layers were also Jackson's; no back-up singers needed.

He was an astonishing beat-boxer laying out drum tracks with his voice, thereby achieving the unique rhythm that made the whole world want to get up and dance.  The rhythm was his creation, not that of a studio drummer.  His soul and voice created the beat that we danced to.  We once again get to hear this magic in "Behind The Mask" -"Hollywood Tonight" and in a small clip recorded over the phone for the intro to "(I Like) The Way You Love Me." The album is not perfect because the perfectionist is no longer here, but it is genius no less, showcasing versatility creatively, rhythmically and vocally ranging from alto to soprano, screams and "Michaelisms" in a way that only Jackson can deliver.  

The CD's liner notes states "This album is dedicated to Michael's children, Katherine Jackson, and the entire Jackson family."  The CD's liner unfortunately contains no photographs of Michael, but there are four scanned sheets of "hand written" notes from Michael.  The fourth page starts with "We only live once...."

"Michael" is sure to please his multi-millions of fans around the globe and mesmerize the younger generation, many of whom perhaps have only discovered him since his untimely death.  Though it doesn't live up to his previously proven perfectionism standards in production, it will, in my estimation, be a huge commercial success nonetheless.  The album will be released in the United States by Sony/Epic Records on December 14, 2010.  I have my copy set on "repeat" and I bet come December 14th, the album's release date, yours will be, too.

[voiceforthesilent]

Wow - what I read was excellent. I'll finish reading later. Thank you for sharing this with us. Merry Christmas

[mikestanek1]

I like the part where it says Monster and Breaking news "hint at him returning to haunt the media".  I'm sure this critic doesnt really know how much that means to the hoax believers, but to me it means he is on the right track without knowing it.  It's somewhat subliminal because we know, or we believe that he is already haunting most of the media with his death hoax.  I liked that line a lot.

[2good2btrue]

Thanks for sharing this.  I loved that part as well, about him retaliating back at the Media, even after his death..  

[Andrea]

I like the part where it says Monster and Breaking news "hint at him returning to haunt the media".  I'm sure this critic doesnt really know how much that means to the hoax believers, but to me it means he is on the right track without knowing it.  It's somewhat subliminal because we know, or we believe that he is already haunting most of the media with his death hoax.  I liked that line a lot.

That was my favorite line of the article too.  "In a somewhat bizarre twist, two of the tracks, "Monster" and "Breaking News", hint at Jackson returning to haunt the media they way they haunted him in life."

The whole article is great and they talk about his beatboxing, which I have always thought is just so amazing.
I'll throw in a youtube video just for fun:  

[youtube:100eggty]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C5he8XQCBw[/youtube:100eggty]

[MJonmind]

I just love hearing him beatboxing. I'm glad they included a bit more of it on 'Michael' than other albums. Also the reminder that the other layers and voices are usually his as well. This sounds like a person knowledgable in music, realizing the incredible gift that MJ had.