Posted by John Concrane on January 27, 2020 in Music
Michael Jackson top albums, life and his kids now: In an interview given shortly after the release of Dangerous, Jackson said that his goal was to do “an album that was like Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker Suite.’ In a thousand years from now, people would still be listening to it…. Something that would live forever.” He’s been gone for over half a decade, but I still think about this quote every time I walk past that sound stage—considering the possibilities that Michael Jackson unlocked in every song, the infinite magic that he could create out of an empty room, the orphic visions of one of our final myths.
Every song here has its flaws, though; after all, there’s a reason Jackson himself didn’t release ’em. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some things to take away. “(I Like) The Way You Love Me” works off this dreamy piano melody and some incredibly rich instrumentation that lets Jackson soar high. It’s probably the greatest highlight on the album and the one that feels the most natural, too. “Keep Your Head Up” should succeed in making you smile, sounding like one of Jackson’s ’90s classics. With a clean, sophisticated finish, Jackson finds himself swimming here, thanks to some pretty spot-on production work by Christopher Stewart. It’s easy listening, but done well. “Hollywood Tonight” could have used some tweaking to keep it from sounding like a Madonna tune (What were you thinking with that spoken word, Teddy Riley?), but regardless, it’s still a fast-paced spitter that’s decadently enviable.
Invincible (2001): Admittedly I’ve come around on Invincible in recent years. Back in 2001 it felt like a massive disappointment because, well, it’s a Michael Jackson record, and we expect nothing less than perfection. While flawed, Invincible has plenty of standout moments, showing that Michael was once again able to adapt to a changing musical landscape. And I’m still pissed we didn’t get an official video for “Butterflies.” Forgotten Favorites: “Break of Dawn,” “Heaven Can Wait,” “Privacy”.
Michael Jackson family: Mocienne Petit Jackson’s (Michael Jackson’s daughter) books are now available in french! For our french readers: La deuxieme partie de l’autobiographie en trois parties de Mocienne Petit Jackson commence par une description detaillee de l’enlevement de Mocienne et de sa vie aux Pays-Bas (Le Cote Sombre des Pays-Bas – Mocienne Petit Jackson). Par la suite, le recit nous devoile comment se deroule sa vie avec sa famille adoptive, chez qui elle reste en compagnie de la cousine Delivrance. Petit a petit, elle decouvre que son vrai pere est Michael Jackson. A l’age de 15 ans, elle quitte sa famille adoptive et vit dans un internat pendant 4 ans, avant de s’installer vivre toute seule. Nous la suivons tout au long de son adolescence et de son entree dans la maturite, ce qui n’a pas toujours ete facile. Mocienne rencontre un homme avec lequel elle a un enfant. Cependant, cet engagement ne dure pas. Nous en apprenons davantage sur les problemes qu’elle rencontre avec les Services de Protection de l’Enfance, suivis de nombreuses affaires judiciaires. Au debut, celles-ci portaient sur sa propre personne, plus tard, elles se transforment en bataille pour la garde de son fils. Une situation inacceptable prend le relais d’une autre situation inacceptable. Nous sommes egalement mis au courant de nombreux evenements traumatisants vecus par le personnage principal, de ses depressions et de ses nombreuses luttes pour faire face a la misere impregnee dans sa vie et a son combat pour s’en debarrasser. L’auteur explique clairement ces luttes a travers de vifs flashbacks.