BTW this is another gripe I have about Vince. MJ doesn't seem too involved in it like in his other albums, I don't know it just seemed like he didn't care or something.
This is VERY well said. I think MJ was involved in this but most songs are so heavily produced that the end result is not MJ like and the beats are not MJ traditional. They are modern and strange at times. There are however some songs which are RAW MJ and speechless is one of them and of course it is possibly truest MJ song on that album.
You RockMy world is another song that is very old MJ like. However, this is not a new problem for MJ. The thing is that his music span is so long that people who get attached to him with their first album or so feel strange when he changes.
For example think Off the wall and then BAD and I can assure you the people who got addicted to off the wall felt strange listening to something like Dirty Diana or Leave me alone. Then he changed again in Dangerous.
In my estimation Off The wall and Thriller are very close just like Dangerous, History are very close, some other songs also like BOTDF is VERY dangerous/ history like and then BAD is a standalone album that does not sound like any other MJ album and so is invincible.
However, BAD in my opnion is more true MJ than invincible becuse of the increasing effect of other producers in the later.
The problem I have with Invincible is that the songs seem very looped with strange beats. Like as great as a song Unbreakable is and a fantastic concert openner at that-it never feels like Jam or Scream. Unbreakable does not have the variation of Scream, which gives it a very sample-looped feel or sound. Actually Scream is less loop-ish than Jam which at times can be too long.
Now compare unbreakable with Speechless and you will see what I mean. It has much more variation (compostion wise) than Unbreakable or even Break of Dawn-which in turn cannot compare with You are not alone (a flawless MJ song in my estimation).
This is also why I think in so far as rock-ish songs go Dirty Diana and Give in to me are MUCH more superior than D.S, which in turn is vastly superior than privacy because it has less varition (more loop feel) than either of the pervious three.
So, Invincible is not a bad album is just is Very different and it does have more influence of others than all pervious MJ albums. MY problem with invincible is that it lacks the rhythm which pervious MJ albums are known for (save a few songs). I think the last great rhythm based MJ song was BOTDF. It oozes the energy I have always asociated MJ with.
Maybe because I am doing the exact same thing I wrote above about i.e I am too old for invincible haha
but what is true is that this was not the first time MJ revisied his sound or feel. Now, when it comes to other things like vidoes or promotion that is a whole different matter.
All in All a good album but perhaps too different for most old fans like me.