THE TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2010 - #16 - Michael Jackson - Michael

 THE TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2010

#16 - Michael Jackson: Michael

Words by Dirk Calloway

Preface: This is a daily series I'm writing, wrapping up my favourite 20 albums from 2010. I realise it's April 2011, but I don't apologise for the delay in publishing this. It took me a while to get through the 80+ records I've checked out from the year. So far we've featured New Young Pony Club's 'The Optimist'; Spoon's 'Transference';Eminem's 'Recovery' and The Brunettes' 'Paper Dolls.' If you like what you see, come back tomorrow for more! If you don't, feel free to harass me in the comments section.

The deification  of Michael Jackson began days after his death, when the realisation set in: he hadn't returned to greatness like we all wanted him to. When I heard he'd died, one of the first things I mourned was that his last album was the forgettable Invincible. He hadn't got a chance to cement his legacy, not in the way that latter-day Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Elvis Presley or Brian Wilson had since falling out of favour in the awkward mid-points of their careers.

 Christmas 2010 came around though, and Sony began the inevitable and Herculean effort to create that legacy for him. A whopping contract has been signed that guarantees ten albums' worth of material, courtesy of his debt laden estate. No doubt we'll see a Jackson record released every Christmas until 2020. Whether or not they'll be any good is a moot point. Are they withholding gems? Or is Michael the best there is, so they can strike while the iron's hot? If so, is it fair to slate them for giving us what we all want to hear? I have a real problem with reviewing this album because I've read dozens of reviews by other publications, and they all focused on the same angles. Here's a bullet-pointed and paraphrased list of things they mention:

• Akon, 50 Cent and Lenny Kravitz all suck, why do we have to hear them on an MJ record?
• Michael was a perfectionist, he'd hate to release something that wasn't perfect
• This is a shameless cash grab
• We should let his previous albums speak for themselves
• There's rumours that other people filled in some of the harmonies after he died
• Michael's dead, and I hated him when he was alive, and as a reaction to people liking him now I'm going to rant about how you're all wrong
• Some of the vocals sound over-produced
• Michael's dead, and sometimes he mentions words like "dead" or "cemetery" or "The King has risen." COINCEDENCE?!
• The best songs are castaways that he recorded ages ago
• Michael Jackson's dead, but when he was alive he was pretty naff

I mean, really, can we not just let the material speak for itself? Yes, he's dead, and this is a pop record that sounds very much alive. It's as if we expect albums by dead people to have acoustic guitars and echoed vocals from the grave, like Nirvana's Unplugged in New York, or Johnny Cash's American V. Well, that's not the case here, and damned if I'm going to review the album from that perspective. Humour me as I pretend Jacko's still alive and kicking? I just think you'll get a more honest perspective. Cool? Here goes.

The first single from Michael Jackson's new album Michael is a perfectly suited way to kick off the next stage in his career. This is not a man who can sing songs like Bad, Dangerous or Thriller any more: he'll be pushing 60 soon and those legs surely can't swing the way they used to. Considering he's got three kids and he's anathema to women these days, it's not like he's gonna be able to sing about falling in love any time soon either. So, with this in mind, it makes sense he's gonna go for the big "bring the world together" anthems. Why not? John  Lennon did it after he lost the shimmer of The Beatles with Imagine and Give Peace A Chance. In fact, Lennon is the artist who comes to mind whenever I listen to Michael. For a long period, Lennon was a recluse, but he returned from a recording hiatus in 1980 to unleash Double Fantasy. I've always felt that was his way of proving he could rock out in the 60s or he could rock out in the 80s, and age was no barrier for him. Don't believe me? Check out his Clean Up Time in the below 'video':

Michael's done the same thing as Lennon with this album. In the case of lead single Hold My Hand, he's produced the same anthemic pop he's always done, but he's made it sound like 2010 instead of 1988. For one thing, that means making shorter songs. Compare previous ballad lengths of Michael's:

• History - 6:38
• Heal The World - 6:23
• You Are Not Alone - 5:45
• Man In The Mirror - 5:19
• Hold My Hand - 3:34!!

Welcome to 2010 Michael, we've all got ADD and are pretty trigger happy on our iPhones to move on to the next feel-good single. It's good of you to join us. Hell, he's just released the shortest album he's ever done. Thriller - "all thriller, no filler" - was a minute or so longer than Michael is. Dangerous, bloated masterpiece that it was, had an extra 40 minutes on it! This newly discovered brevity of Jackson's seems to indicate to me that he's finally aware of his position in the pop world's pecking order. He's probably got less pulling power than the Black Eyed Peas these days. God forbid, but them's the breaks. The world has no more time for his shtick, so he's pared it all back.

After kicking things off with Hold My Hand, MJ moves on to Hollywood Tonight. Lyrically, it's a nice twist for him. He's always enjoyed the storytelling aspect of songs, but most of the time his narratives revolve around a female protagonist who collides with him in some way. In this case, it's a fairly sad tale of a girl who has to compromise everything to become famous. These are grim lyrics and they're told from the perspective of a sad, wisened, elder who's seen too many lives ruined by The Machine. Pity that the music video they've just released misses the point entirely - I'd say that the video director had no idea it's a tragedy of a tale:

She's giving hot tricks to men just to get in
When she was taught that that's not clean
She's headed for the big time, that means
She's going Hollywood

The great news is, that's one of the worst songs on the record! Sure, it's coasting along on a 'good enough' hook, but it beats the pants off most of the other major pop releases this year. Lord knows why they chose that to be their second single, but it's great that they followed it up with the excellent Behind The Mask. From what I hear, Jackson recorded it many years ago, but it sounds fresher than anything I've heard on mainstream radio in 2010. It starts with a saxophone solo and thunderous applause, then starts cracking along with a mean snare sound, before building up to a batshit crazy chorus the likes of which I never thought I'd hear from Jackson. It sounds like something latter-day Madonna would record or an on-form Jamiroquai. All robo voices, trance-blips and disco groove, it's far and away the best cut of the album. I can't wait to see it performed live!

But, then, when that's done, the other best song comes on, and it's a doozy of a ballad. Called Much Too Soon, it's a softly-spoken Jackson trying to take the hand of a lady who won't have a bar of it. The second verse sees him lamenting his bad luck and the third verse is him trying to make the best of a bad situation, stoking hope where there's none to be found. It's devastating in its simplicity and no doubt it represents a sensation of loneliness he's felt time and time again. Check out some of the lyrics:

Take away this neverending sorrow
Take this lonely feeling from my soul
If only I knew one thing to bring tomorrow
She'd be sitting here beside me
And my heart wouldn't be cold

With those two masterpieces, there's no doubt in my mind that The King Of Pop has a promising next decade to look forward to. We're privileged to see one of the greats return from Recluse Land to show us what they can do in the modern era. Just like Lennon before him, Jackson's proven that he's the best in the business, so don't you dare pre-judge what he's capable of.

Well, that wraps up today's post folks. Sorry it's been a marathon, but I think Michael deserved a decent hearing. Tomorrow's will probably be shorter, out of necessity! It's a concept album, that successively subverts its chosen genre, by one of its unlikeliest advocates. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. See you soon!