Back in 2010 I talked to someone who was in communication with Michael in his last year, and they said they had heard an acapella of "Keep Your Head Up" from him (I don't know if it was live or on tape). This person also claimed they had heard "Breaking News", but it had sounded rather different than what was released. Some of the lyrics had been different. This person said Sony "butchered" the song.
So what I think might have happened was that Michael really did record these songs at Cascio's, but he didn't finish the job at the time (as it often happened with his work), and when Eddie turned in the songs, the vocals were incomplete. Then someone (Sony or whoever else) hired an impersonator under NDA to finish the job. Then they mixed Michael's parts of vocal with newly recorded parts from a sound-alike, chose 3 songs that sounded most convincing and put them on the album. And that started the whole debate. Stupid and reckless thing to do, but it's the only explanation I can find to fit all pieces together:
- Eddie insisting that MJ did record those songs
- Michael singing "Water, water" at TII
- "Breaking News" and "Monster" sounding like MJ in some places and not like MJ in other places
- Malachi coming forward, then claiming someone hacked his site (he was prob. threatened with legal action)
- Teddy Riley swinging from camp to camp
- someone claiming they heard the songs from Michael
- Frank hinting that there is a lot of conspiracy going on but saying there is MJ in those songs
etc.
I could have believed this theory
if:
-there were no copy-pasted words inserted in the middle of sentences (the only ones that sound like MJ)
-there were no rip-offs from previous melodies
-there were written handnotes, demos, MJ mumbling or humming versions of the songs
-there was no that strange vibrato
-there was more power in falsetto
-the "t" was pronounced in the middle of the words
-the "-alk" was pronounced in a more standard way than as "-ock"
-there were no in many parts of the songs that akward "hmmaaAaAAAaaaaaAaammm"
-there were no overly exaggerated yelps and gulps
-the voice was not, actually, annoying because of its unusual timbre
-we saw the official complete thorough forensic analysis and the reasons indicating to believe that it is MJ and not an impostor
-Eddie answered some questions to clear things up
-JM answered some questions to clear things up
-there were some worktapes
etc.
So far, apart those songs, we have no single serious trace or indication that MJ was involved at all. Those 12 songs (or rather re-arranged rip-offs) suddenly came out of nowhere as if by magic. But it surely ain't no MJ's magic.