EXCELLENT observations.
I completely disagree with the notion that MJ should’ve stuck to a certain sound. He recruited popular producers for Dangerous and HIStory without issue, but since Invincible was imperfect, somehow doing so becomes a negative. When an artist starts resting on their laurels and doing the same thing over and over again, that (to me) dilutes their catalog. Even if I don’t like the end result, I love that MJ consistently tried new things.
Now, see, on the other hand, MJ did try new things, in his own compositions and writing, and that was great. It was great hearing MJ experiment with crazy new music. Even songs like 'What a Lovely Way to Go", super eclectic, but a total one off. And people hated it lol. But I digress.
MJ tried new things with other people too, which was fine. He was not Prince and did not do it all by himself. And that approach didn't always work for Prince either; even at the end, he became a bit too self-referential for my liking. Certain albums had stronger bases than others. (I do love 2000s Prince quite a lot, more than most people actually.)
And now to convert this thread into "Invincible bad"
The biggest point against MJ and Invincible was that his heart wasn't in it, the album was, TOO LONG, and not sequenced well. And Rodney Jerkins just wasn't the hippest cat in the world. Pharrell and The Neptune's were the earliest trailblazers, JT's album is way, way fresher. MJ deserved those songs. And then Kanye came along, and Timbaland was there the whole time, really in his prime, he was at his peak then. Rodney was best in the mid-late 90s with Brandy. Even she stopped working with Darkchild in the 2000s. And the 90s was the exact time MJ was, pretty much just using Dangerous outtakes. So, idk. If it was up to me, I wouldn't have brought Teddy or R.Kelly back either. Cry was a mediocre song, and I can take or leave everything from TR except Whatever Happens. Which really isn't his song anyway.