Michael
Disappointing swansong from the King of Pop
Paul Nolan, 10 Dec 2010
Eighteen months after the king of pop's demise, we are now presented with this album of unfinished recordings, tidied up and polished for release. That the record is a patchy affair is no surprise, given that - bar the occasional gem such as 'You Rock My World' - Jacko's latter day output was unremarkable, and all but drowned out by the scandal and controversy surrounding his private life.
One of the most bizarre professional decisions Jackson made in his later life was not to use the material The Neptunes wrote for him in the early noughties, the bulk of which ended up on Justified, the multi-million selling album that made Justin Timberlake into a superstar. Tracks such as the sublime 'Rock Your Body' would have slotted comfortably onto Off The Wall, and had Jackson used them, provided the singer with massive sales in addition to a badly needed credibility boost.
As we now see, Jackson spent his final years toiling on the songs on Michael, not one of which can compare to pop masterworks like 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough', 'Billie Jean' and 'Bad'. Although the tunes on Michael are largely based around standard issue funk-pop grooves, the lyrics do at least offer some insight into Jackson's troubled psyche. Whilst filled with typical love song phrases, the likes of 'Hold My Hand '("I can tell you're tired of being lonely"), 'Monster' ("Hollywood it’s got you jumping") and, most explicitly, the media bashing 'Breaking News' ("Everyone wants a piece of Michael Jackson") reveal a jaded individual sick of being at the centre of a media circus.
Indeed, by the time '(I Can't Make It) Another Day' and 'Behind The Mask' roll around, the prevailing mood is one of total dejection. While the lyrical content of Michael may offer some element of surprise, the music unfortunately does not.
One of the only tracks that departs from the tried and trusted formula of electro-pop and soppy ballads is the aforementioned 'I Can't Make It', which boasts contributions from Lenny Kravitz and - ironically, considering Nevermind's symbolic dislodging of Dangerous from the top of the Billboard charts in 1991 - Dave Grohl. The duo's presence results in some aggressive rocking out, although even this track is blighted by a horribly bombastic guitar solo.
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