I like Hold My Hand all right, but overall it sounds more like the R&B-style of Akon than MJ. It just doesn't really sound like an MJ song (Which makes sense because apparently Akon wrote it).
I like Hollywood Tonight pretty well. The bass and beat-boxing are just awesome. The chorus is kind of repetitive though. Who's that talking in the spoken part? It sounds like Jermaine...
Keep You Head Up doesn't do much for me. It just sounds like a contemporary adult track... not to mention, it's Jason Malachi (it's harder to notice than in Breaking News, but it is Malachi, 100% certainty here).
(I Like) The Way You Love Me is more of the same from the previous track. Which seems to me like a mistake, given their similarity. They could at least space them apart. It's a little better though, it has a decent beat and flute instrumentation, so there's that. But entirely forgettable. :-/
I can't really listen to Monster. It is not Michael Jackson. Period. They even had the audacity to place the yell from Scream at :42 seconds in, which only makes it more obvious that this is just an imposter. A duet of a Michael Jackson impersonator and a talentless rapper. Next track please.
Best Of Joy just sounds like a track that wouldn't make it to the cutting-room floor. It's fairly uninspired and forgettable, but at least this one is Michael.
Of course we've all been debating about Breaking News for months, but my opinion remains unchanged -- this is Jason Malachi. As I've said, listening to one of Malachi's tracks on YouTube ends the debate. It's him. But I will say, I do like this track. That's probably just a testament to MJ's talent, that I can enjoy it despite the fact that he's not singing, but I still listen to it regularly... and I try to pretend its him.
(I Can't Make It) Another Day is yet another excellent rock track. His voice just fits perfectly with heavy guitar riffs. I like Lenny Kravitz's backing vocals as well, and the background instruments are very surreal and transcendent; probably a highlight to this record. And best of all, it's the real thing.
Behind the Mask is really great as well. When the beat at :35 seconds kicked it, it made me smile. I've always loved his signature-sounding, clever unconventional pop beats. The vocals are really good, and I like the electronic aspects of the instruments heard here... it almost reminds me of modern pop, like Lady Gaga or Little Boots. The bass is really funky, too.
Much Too Soon is sad, as it quite clearly intends to be, but it's not something I'll be listening to. Ever since Dangerous, there's always been at least one or two tracks to each record that would best be classified as "filler ballads". "Michael" is no different. However, I won't fault MJ for this, as these tracks are likely a composition of scraped tracks, "posthumously" (notice the quotes) produced demos, or tracks that were intended to be released on an album later.
As far as who sings in each track...
Michael: 7 tracks
Jason: 3 tracks
I was afraid that it would be half MJ half JM, but fortunately he only poisoned three tracks. Hopefully subsequent releases won't feature JM or any other impersonators.
