Michael Jackson, Xscape | Album Review 💿

Xscape proves to be a ‘much better than expected’ posthumous album by  Michael Jackson.

Being honest, unless Michael Jackson released another Thriller, posthumous album Xscape wouldn’t supersede his best.  Xscape isn’t a slouch; the eight-track album is sound and worthy of spins. Arguably, the project showcases a contemporary Michael Jackson LP.

“Love Never Felt So Good”

“Love Never Felt So Good” kicks off Xscape, with classicism.  The track doesn’t feel anachronistic but preserves a neo-disco sound popular in the 80s.  “Love Never Felt So Good” is originally from the 80s.

The production is tasteful and lush, giving this unreleased track fresh life.  Sunny and optimistic,  “Love Never Felt So Good”  never reaches the level of Jackson’s classics. It is, however,  a noteworthy addition to his collection.

“Chicago” has a difficult act to follow, but holds its own.  More than the opener,  the sound is contemporary.  Still, the vintage appeal of Jackson and end of the New Jack swing era is apparent.

“Loving You” hails from the Bad era.  “Loving You” features the modern production tricks of Timbaland and co-producer Jerome “Jroc” Harmon.  The balladry reminisces back to “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”, notably the harmonies. Still, “Loving You” feels fresh in 2014.  The lushness of  creates a romantic vibe.

“A Place With No Name”

“A Place With No Name” arrives from the Invincible era, but sounds older than “Chicago,” from the same period. It contains a portion of “A Horse With No Name,” a 70s song. “A Place With No Name” features the script listeners characterize Jackson with. There is a sense of familiarity with “A Place With No Home” that naturally elevates this track up a peg or two on the listening hierarchy.

“Slave To The Rhythm” hails from the heart of New Jack Swing, Jackson’s Dangerous era.  “Slave To The Rhythm” definitely has the elements that made a joint like “Jam” or “In The Closet” a success. Even with Timbaland’s updates, he doesn’t complete “gut” the new-jack sound.

“Do You Know Where Your Children Are”

“Do You Know Where Your Children Are” is definitely a Jackson record, with a pronounced socially conscious message front-and-center.  “Do you know where your children are?” he asks on the chorus.

“…If they are somewhere out on the street / just imagine how scared they are.”

David Williams’ electric guitar solo towards the end of the cut definitely signals that 90s sound that Jackson bought into on both Dangerous and the more underrated History.  A highlight here is the gargantuan drums and the impact of the hits.

“Blue Gangsta”

“What you gonna do / you ain’t no friend of mine / the blue gangsta.” No track may have more swagger than the slick “Blue Gangsta,” which opens incredibly mysteriously before settling into mean-sounding contemporary R&B.  Timbaland delivers some of his most inspired production work, truly updating the original.

The final funky brass hit is an incredibly thoughtful production choice.  Besides a killer groove and superb palette of sounds, vocally Jackson sound impressive, particularly his biting, gritty upper register.  The feistiness of the pop star truly shines through here; you could totally envision Jackson ‘eating up’ this cut when he originally recorded it.

The final funky brass hit is an incredibly thoughtful production choice.  Besides a killer groove and superb palette of sounds, vocally Jackson sound impressive, particularly his biting, gritty upper register.  The feistiness of the pop star truly shines through here; you could totally envision Jackson ‘eating up’ this cut when he originally recorded it.

“Xscape”

Title track “Xscape” concludes the standard edition of the album. A cut about escapism , “Xscape” seems optimistic, but not without pain or disillusionment.    Unsurprisingly, the production work continues to be impressive, this time at the hands of Rodney Jerkins, a seminal part of Invincible.

“Everywhere I turn, no matter where I look / the system’s in control, it’s all ran by the book…”

“Xscape” only has one flaw of note. Jackson’s lower vocals on the verse are coarse in sound as if he was rushed, playing less attention to accurate pitch.  Once he gets into his upper register, “it’s all good”.

The deluxe edition of Xscape features original versions of the standard tracks, as well as the duet version of “Love Never Felt So Good” featuring Justin Timberlake.  The deluxe edition also comes with a DVD – a documentary about the project.  After listening to the original versions, it makes sense why producers opted to enhance the material with new mixes and more development.

Final Thoughts

The originals are solid overall but don’t necessarily have the pizzazz that the newer mixes do.  Additionally, some of the originals sound ‘dated’ (contextually) compared to today’s music.  Sure, they everything sounds very MJ like, but there is a draw to the slick production work courtesy of Timbaland, Jerome “Jroc” Harmon, Rodney Jerkins, and Stargate.  Wouldn’t a truly contemporary Michael Jackson sound, well, modern?  I think so.

Ultimately, Xscape proves to be a ‘much better than expected’ posthumous MJ album.  It doesn’t fall into the same league as Jackson’s ‘Big 3’ albums (Off The Wall, Thriller or Bad), but it certainly is a welcome addition to the pop star’s discography.  Each of the eight songs are worthwhile – none misses the mark.  Even being nitpicky, it’s hard to deny this is more of the MJ caliber album desired when Michael arrived in December 2010.  Personally, this is how I would’ve envisioned Michael Jackson’s sound evolving past his prime, had he lived.  Xscape receives my blessing.

Gems: “Love Never Felt So Good,” “A Place With No Name,” “Do You Know Where Your Children Are” & “Blue Gangsta”

Michael Jackson • Xscape • Epic • US Release: 5.13.14

Photo Credit: Epic