Michael

by Michael Jackson

Overview

As the first excavation of Michael Jackson's vaults, Michael carries the weight of expectation it cannot possibly bear to support. After Jackson split with Quincy Jones following 1987's Bad, he had a revolving door on his studio, letting in all major producers for a track or three, sometimes selecting these songs for a finished album, sometimes not. Michael rounds up ten of these leftovers, relying heavily on cuts he was tinkering with in the years after Invincible, but apart from cameos by Akon and 50 Cent there's precious little here that sounds modern. Perhaps it's the heavy presence of Teddy Riley, but much of this recalls the cacophonic clutter of Dangerous, heavy on rhythms but not melody. Tellingly, the exceptions to the rule are the oldest tunes here -- "Behind the Mask" and "Much Too Soon," both dating back to Thriller, and "(I Like) The Way You Love Me," an outtake first aired on the 2004 box The Ultimate Collection and reworked somewhat extensively here. Much of this has likely been tweaked extensively to prep it for release, but it's impossible to discern exactly what overdubs were added after Jackson's death, particularly because this so heavily recalls his last decade of released records, right down to the recurring theme of MJ's persecution, which sounds quite bizarre in the wake of his passing. That said, Michael winds up seeming almost respectful. At the very least, the album doesn't tarnish his legacy. [In August 2022, Michael Jackson's estate and Sony Music settled a lawsuit claiming the two parties violated false advertising laws by featuring a "Jackson impersonator" on Michael. A month earlier, the label pulled three disputed tracks from streaming versions of the album: "Breaking News," "Monster," and "Keep Your Head Up."] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/09/2022
Label:	Sony Music
UPC:	0196587566326

Tracks

1. Hold My Hand
2. Hollywood Tonight
3. (I Like) The Way You Love Me
4. Best of Joy
5. (I Can't Make It) Another Day
6. Behind the Mask
7. Much Too Soon

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Michael Jackson   Primary Artist,Vocals (Background),Vocals
Akon   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Mike Phillips   Saxophone
David Campbell   Conductor
Tommy Morgan   Harmonica
Paulinho Da Costa   Percussion
Shanice Wilson   Vocals (Background)
Benjamin F. Wright   Conductor
Greg Phillinganes   Keyboards
Dave Grohl   Drums
Lenny Kravitz   Bass,Gong,Noise,Timpani,Mini Moog,Featured Artist,Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Duawne Starling   Vocals (Background)
Alex Al   Bass
Jon Nettlesbey   Keyboards,Sequencing
The Regiment   Horn
Michael LeFevre   Voices
Alphonso Jones   Vocals (Background)
Stuart Brawley   Voices
James "Big Jim" Wright   Keyboards
Suzie Katayama   Accordion
Tommy Emmanuel   Guitar
Erick Walls   Guitar
50 Cent   Rap,Featured Artist
Edward Brown   Keyboards
Dave Barron   Noise
Taryll Jackson   Spoken Word
Eric Jackson   Guitar
Stacey Michaels   Voices
James Porte   Vocals (Background)
Craig Ross   Guitar (12 String Electric)
Paulino da Costa   Percussion
Mischke   Vocals (Background)
The Benjamin Wright Orchestra   Strings,String Section
Thomas Drayton   Bass
Sandy Orkin   Voices
Lisa Orkin   Voices
Michael Durham Prince   Whistle (Human)
Danny Ray McDonald, Jr.   Whistle (Human)
William C. Champlin   Piano
Theron Feemster   Keyboards
Erick Donell Walls   Guitar
Stacey Michael   Voices

Technical Credits

Michael Jackson   Composer,Producer,Inspiration,Concept
Orianthi   Musician
David Campbell   Arranger
Jason Sherwood   Assistant Engineer
Miguel Scott   Assistant Engineer,Recording Assistant
Mark Santangelo   Mastering Assistant
Steven Dennis   Assistant Engineer
Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Allen Sides   Mixing,Engineer
Teddy Riley   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Programming
Aliaume Thiam   Composer
Rudy Bird   Musician,Assistant Engineer
Jamie Wollam   Musician,Assistant Engineer
Joe Corcoran   Engineer,Musician,Drum Programming,Assistant Engineer
Nicole Garcia   Musician,Assistant Engineer
Benjamin F. Wright   Arranger
Jean-Marie Horvat   Mixing
Lenny Kravitz   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Horn Samples,String Samples,Drum Programming
John Hanes   Mixing
Leon Sylvers III   Vocal Arrangement
Jon Nettlesbey   Mixing,Engineer,Digital Editing,Drum Programming
Claude Kelly   Composer
Michael LeFevre   Vocal Producer
Dennis Krijnen   Assistant Engineer,Recording Assistant
Eddie Cascio   Composer,Musician,Assistant Engineer
Scott Elgin   Mixing,Engineer
Monte Neuble   Musician,Assistant Engineer
Giorgio Tuinfort   Composer,Producer,Programming,Instrumentation
Ryuichi Sakamoto   Composer
Tim Roberts   Assistant,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Stuart Brawley   Engineer,Musician,Assistant Engineer
Cameron Stone   Musician,Assistant Engineer
Mack Woodward   Assistant Engineer,Recording Assistant
Jaycen Joshua   Mixing
Matt Paul   Assistant Engineer,Recording Assistant
James "Big Jim" Wright   Drum Programming
Justin Pintar   Assistant Engineer,Recording Assistant
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart   Producer
Suzie Katayama   Contractor
Khaliq Glover   Mixing,Engineer
Luis Navarro   Engineer
Brad Buxer   Composer,Producer
Akon   Duet,Producer,Programming,Instrumentation
Glen Marchese   Engineer
Sean Hurley   Musician,Assistant Engineer
Alex Alvarez   Technician,Programming,Programming,Studio Technician
Henry Hirsch   Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Vlado Meller   Mastering
Andrew Wuepper   Engineer
Reggie Dozer   Engineer,String Engineer
Franck van der Heijden   String Arrangements
Dave Barron   Drum Programming
Christopher Austopchuk   Creative Director
Myron Chandler   Voice Engineer
Curtis Jackson   Composer
Khaliq-O-Vision   Engineer
Chris Mosdell   Composer
Dave Hampton   Voice Engineer
Ryan Wiese   Assistant Engineer,Recording Assistant
Christina Rodriguez   Design,Art Direction
Dave Baron   Synthesizer Programming
John McClain   Producer
James Murray   Engineer
Craig Johnson   Archivist
Mark "Exit" Goodchild   Engineer
James Porte   Composer,Musician,Drum Programming,Assistant Engineer
Sharon Jackson   Musician
Konvict   Producer
Kory Aaron   Assistant Engineer,Recording Assistant
Sheri Lee   Design,Art Direction,Creative Director
Wessel Oltheten   Engineer
Mischke   Vocal Engineer
Drew Harris   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Brian "B-Luv" Thomas   Engineer
Eelco Bakker   Assistant Engineer,Recording Assistant
Travis Harrington   Assistant Engineer
Evvy Tavasci   Archivist
Jesus Garnica   Mixing Assistant
Zachariah Redding   Assistant Engineer
Kadir Nelson   Cover Art
Naiden Maynard   Screams
Nigel Maynard   Screams
Brandon Datoli   Assistant Engineer
Michael Durham Prince   Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Michael Prince   Archivist
Angelikson   Producer
Quentin Gilkey   Assistant Engineer
Theron Feemster   Producer,Instrumentation,Drum Programming
Sheron Jackson   Musician