The Verdict on MICHAEL

This is the most optimistic Michael Jackson album since Off The Wall. The lyrical content is largely inspirational and uplifting and even the songs that are of grittier story-telling are not as heavy handed with themes of the paranormal and/or paranoia that we've long become accustomed to as part of Michael's semi-autobiographical anthems such as "Why You Wanna Trip on Me," "Tabloid Junkie," "This Time Around," "Privacy," among many others.

The album is excellent, as near perfection as it can be considering the King, himself, could not see the production of most of these songs to completion. Still, the vocals are solid and the occurrences of Michael's ad-libs in songs like "Hold My Hand" where he approaches far higher notes, like the riffing during the film "This Is It" at the end of "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." This higher range, where he's actually not achieving the notes in falsetto, are the markings of his matured and polished voice. Vocally, Michael was going further, sounding better than ever, topping himself, ever since the era of Invincible.

The vocals are certainly complete or more fully realized than the impression given by the teaser release of "Breaking News" in November. Michael is definitely a complete album and not a shambled montage of cut and paste or auto tunes.
 
The production quality is obviously of others. There will forever remain a distinct and un-duplicateable studio meticulousness that is a Michael Jackson Production beginning to end. This likely is the reason that Michael is the shortest run-time of any other album, of his solo projects:
OFF THE WALL 42:16
THRILLER 42:19
BAD 48:16
DANGEROUS 76:58
HISTORY (disc two) 77:06
BLOOD ON THE DANCEFLOOR 76:49
INVINCIBLE 77:08
MICHAEL 42:13

"(I Can't Make It) Another Day," a duet with Lenny Kravitz reminds you of Dangerous' "Give In To Me" with Slash. "Behind The Mask" deserves alot of credit on the part of the producers that assembled it. As it is crafted on Michael, it is a fantastically funky track, with audio clips borrowed from Michael interacting with the crowd during his concert for HBO in Bucharest, Romania. "Behind The Mask," had Michael been in the studio in 2005 instead of being humiliated and proven Innocent, this track and a new album from Michael would've given Madonna a good run for her money, when she threw it old school, and used Disco as if it weren't really so.

Bonus tracks (those previously unreleased) that didn't make the final cut of their intended albums remain in abundance and they always serve to reveal or reinforce his obvious genius, yet it is his genius that always kept him second guessing himself. As an artist, he was always his own worst enemy. He was so pressured by himself, while recording Bad, aiming to top the sales and reception of Thriller, he purposely released a very "commercial" yet altogether excellent album to pull audiences form various genres. He gave up on this approach somewhat while assembling Dangerous, though many "commercial" tracks appear. In 2005 Tom Moon's review on The Ultimate Collection said it best when he referenced

"a drop-dead-funky unreleased track left off 1991's Dangerous: "Monkey Business." Its dazzling, uncontrived exuberance makes you wonder about Jackson's artistic judgment: If he rejected this, what else is sitting on the cutting-room floor?"

"The Way You Love Me" is one previously released track from The Ultimate Collection box set but this is a finished and complete version on Michael. The inclusion of Michael drafting the song to a tape recorder, used as the lead-in to the song, is well suited and appreciated. Every track selected for this album is worthy of inclusion. The most unexpected track "Best of Joy" may very well be the best of Michael.

Another Track From MICHAEL

Much Too Soon click the link to listen

Yesterday, TMZ.com reported and posted the release of another track from the upcoming posthumous release by Michael Jackson. Both TMZ and itunes had exclusive rights, it appears, to stream the song, though it is not available for download yet (legally).

Unlike the previous pot-stirring release, "Breaking News," "Much Too Soon," is a beautiful ballad, unquestionably Michael beginning to end. The opening guitar is reminiscent of Michael's youthful number one "Ben," though not at all a sampling from it. The feel and mood of the song is very much like that of his work two albums prior to this THRILLER era track, on his contribution to the Jacksons VICTORY album, "Be Not Always." However, "Much Too Soon," has a more mature depth and is darker than "Be Not Always," in its raw vulnerability, unlike the more ideological and many times naive "Be Not Always." Aside from the lyrical content, the ballad, though straightforward balladry, is uncommon in construction for "Michael Jackson" standards, which may explain why TMZ.com have quoted the itunes description of the track, stating that "Michael always liked [the track] but never found the right home for it." The structure and instrumentation sounds like the influence of excellent balladry by The Carpenters, who were certainly still relevant during the time of "Much Too Soon's" recording: Post OFF THE WALL(1979) and Pre THRILLER(1982).

Verdict: 5 Stars and drama free (for now).