Michael (Album)
Production
- Michael Jackson
- Akon
- Giorgio Tuinfort
- Teddy Riley
- Neff -U
- Tricky Stewart
- Angelikson
- Brad Buxer
- Lenny Kravitz
- John McClain
Michael is the first posthumous album released by the U.S. singer Michael Jackson, which appeared in late 2010 Sony Music Entertainment.
Background
After the sudden death of Michael Jackson in June 2009 it was announced in March 2010 that Sony Music followed the release of several albums that should contain previously unreleased material of the singer. In fact, more than 100 unreleased songs by Michael Jackson may be occupied. As a result, a public debate relaxing about whether these songs should be published or whether such an approach was tasteless. In addition to numerous music critics also known artists such as Akon and will.i.am came forward to speak, who had worked together before Jackson's death with him. While Akon was in favor of publication, will.i.am held back the recorded material he. On 8 November 2010, the song Breaking News was published for a week as a stream on the official Michael Jackson website. It served as a teaser. For advertising purposes, the largest poster in the world was made by the album cover.
Content and production
The album includes unreleased tracks from Jackson's past, but also from his early creative years. It contains with Behind The Mask and Much Too Soon two songs from the Thriller era. Behind The Mask is originally a song of the Yellow Magic Orchestra. Jackson took the early 1980s to a new version and added a lyrics. While Jackson never published his version of the song during his lifetime, it has been interpreted by other artists, including Eric Clapton and Greg Phillinganes. The title ( I Can not Make It) Another Day, co-written with Lenny Kravitz and produced, was originally planned for Jackson's album Invincible. The song (I Like ) The Way You Love Me has been previously published in a demo version on the best-of album The Ultimate Collection (2004) under the title The Way You Love Me. Breaking News, Monster and Hold My Hand taken from the last creative years Jacksons zwischen 2007 and 2009. Best Of Joy is one of the last songs that Michael Jackson wrote in 2009 and recorded.
Controversies
In addition to the criticism of the quality of the songs also doubts about its authenticity were raised: How alleged members of the Jackson family, a part of the song was not sung by Jackson himself. Among the critics of Jackson's mother Katherine include, inter alia, and the two oldest children of the dead musician. You think the voice sounded example, in Breaking News not like the voice of Michael Jackson. Furthermore, the authenticity of Keep Your Head Up and Monster has been questioned. It has been suggested that in these songs, the voice of the singer Jason Malachi was heard, which is very similar to that of Michael Jackson. An alleged admission Malachi to have sung the songs, was denied.
Title list
(*) Co - Producer
Singles
Hold My Hand, originally recorded in 2007, a duet with Akon, was released as the first single. It rose in the first week of its release at # 18 in the German single charts, the next week it could be placed on rank 7. There remained a total of 19 weeks in the German charts, of which 8 weeks in the Top 20 On 11 February 2011 Hollywood Tonight ( a song from the time of Invincible ) as the second single from the album was released. The video to the single twisted premiered on the same day. Although it has been rated by critics as a highlight of the album, Hollywood Tonight could not build on the success of Hold My Hand. It only reached number 55 in the German single charts and had already three weeks after the new entry from the hit list goodbye. In the United States remained from the expected success of the single, it reached # 60 on the U.S. charts. Behind The Mask was released as the third single on 21 February 2011, so far only in France. How Hollywood Tonight and Behind The Mask received mainly positive reviews. The release of the music video was vourausgegangen the Behind The Mask Project. Fans were rolling video clips, for example, as they dance the moonwalk dressed like Jackson or sing to the song, one end. Director Dennis Liu finally selected clips from 1600 for the final video. On June 14, it had its premiere on Facebook.
Commercial success
Although commercially the album could not build on the success Jackson in the 1980s and early 1990s, but sold quite well. In the Netherlands, the album was taken off on the release date over 30,000 times, reaching gold status. In Australia, it was sold in the week of release over 35,000 times. In the UK, the album made the fastest launch of a new Michael Jackson album since Dangerous ( 1991) and sold within one week 113,000 times. The album debuted at # 1 on the album charts in Germany, Austria, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands and Taiwan. In the U.S., the UK, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, France, Japan, Belgium and Denmark, reaching the Top 5 It received Platinum in 14 countries: the United States, Britain, Germany, France ( 2x), Italy ( 3 × ), Spain, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Belgium, the Czech Republic ( 4 × ), Canada, Korea and the Middle East. In Japan, it is the fourth album by Michael Jackson, which debuted in the top 3 (after Thriller, Bad and This Is It ). The album reached gold status in 17 countries: Japan, China, Norway, Australia, Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Sweden, Switzerland, New Zealand, India, the Philippines and Taiwan.
Reviews
Michael received many positive reviews it " better than expected " judged to be.
"There is much reason to believe that the perfectionist Jackson would so never published it. (...) Jackson's song sketches but bear the DNS quite current R & B productions in themselves - and therefore can be trimmed on a computer anywhere on the zeitgeist. (...) Is much at all on the album not failed. "
"The bottom line is this: Michael contains some very impressive new material. ( ... ) His habits, his obsessions, his versatility, and his genius are on display at every turn. Who else Could move so seamlessly from social anthem to floor burner, fleet hip hop to cosmic rock, vintage funk to poignant folk ballad? "
"It is Certainly a great deal better than anyone had any right to expect .. Jackson is finally about to get the comeback he craved. "
" This is not a Michael Jackson album. (...) He would not have released anything like this compilation, a grave bag of outtakes and outlines assembled by Jackson's label. And yet, it's a testament to the man's charisma did Michael can be compelling. "