Now that I have access to this thread, I want to chime in here... A good friend of mine has had a personal connection with Michael most of his life, and even worked with Michael from time to time. He knew everything going on with the "Michael" album, and we've talked about it in detail.
The plain and simple fact is, Michael DID, without any shadow of a doubt, sing those three tracks. Here are the facts, as I have been given them:
* Despite people calling the Cascios "liars", etc, for supposedly creating false Michael tracks, the fact is that the Cascios were genuine and trustworthy friends of Michael, with no reason at all to do such a thing.
* One MAJOR fact that people overlook is that the tracks were recorded in 2007 - when Michael was still alive. And living with the Cascios. The family creating a false album's worth of Malachi-voiced tracks would not happen with Michael under their roof.
* While Michael did know that Jason Malachi existed and appreciated his talent, there was little to no connection between the two of them. Incidentally, at one point, after being sent demos by Jason, Michael put together a mix CD combining these demos with his own rarities to see if his friends could tell the difference between himself and Jason. (This CD leaked online as.... you guessed it... "7EVEN".)
* Fans who insist that Michael sounds too 'different' on those songs never take into account that the man was in horrible health at this point, often sounding strained and weak. The warmth and timbre of Michael's voice is still there, the strength is not. In addition, his health and drug addictions contributed to tooth loss - assumedly his front teeth, given the odd sounds evident in his voice. For example, 'Breaking News': 'Reportersh shtalking the movesh of Michael Jackshon."
* Speaking of 'Breaking News', that song was sung in Michael's lower register that significantly altered the sound of his voice, as previously heard on "2000 Watts" - a track that many fans claim has a digitally altered Michael voice. (It doesn't.)
* The sheer amount of people that would have to keep such a massive secret as a soundalike being used for a MJ track, even entire choirs of people, defies all logic.
* Also defying logic is that Sony would willingly release material that would have the slightest chance of not being Michael Jackson, for fear for a class-action lawsuit over fraudulence. Milli Vanilli would happen all over again.
* While Paris Jackson did insist that Jason was singing on the album, the song she named in particular wasn't even one of the three - "Hold My Hand." The most recognizably Michael song on the disc.
* Likewise, Teddy Riley has proven to be immensely untrustworthy in the past, even claiming that Michael is alive.
* Some people have chosen to use "This Is It" as proof that Michael's voice still sounded as it used to - when the truth is that a vast majority of "This Is It" was either footage from previous tours or utilized old, pre-recorded vocals. Yes, folks, that movie is most likely a fabrication. A fantasy.
* A biggie - while some comparisons have been made, the hard fact is that the voice on "Michael" just does not sound like Jason Malachi. Jason's voice resembles Michael with a sore throat - it is very rough and sometimes hoarse while Michael's is completely smooth no matter how forceful he sings. That smoothness is clear on all three "Michael" tracks; compare those to Jason's "Let Me Let Go", where his voice resembles sandpaper. Yes, they sound similar *at times* - the most noticeable being when Michael sings "DON'T YOU LIKE IT!" on 'Monster' - but the voice still is not a match for Jason's.
Do I think that people will ever believe that these are Michael? Not at all. I also find it incredibly disrespectful to the man who worked diligently in a time when health and money were failing him to not get the least amount of credit for his work, the full credit instead going to another singer who has vehemently denied any involvement in the tracks, and is telling the truth.
One final note, though - there is a supposed Cascio track floating around called "Burn Tonight." While it's possible that Michael did write a song with this title, the track online IS Jason Malachi, 100%. I'm almost certain this song has nothing to do with the Cascios in the least, and was merely mislabeled at some point (just as "Mamacita" and "Let Me Let Go" were mislabeled as MJ tracks). Unlike the actual Cascio recordings, "Burn Tonight" has all the recognizable elements of a Malachi track - cheesy synthesized instrumentation, Jason's rough voice, and very simplistic songwriting. Having heard the rest of the Cascio material, I can confirm with absolute certainty that this track bares absolutely no resemblance to anything in that group, the voice of the singer being a major factor. Just another mistaken Jason track with no MJ connection at all. (I wouldn't doubt, though, that Jason may have consciously written a song with a Michael title, given he already sang a track called "Don't Walk Away.")
