It's easy to formulate a final opinion about the album ...
1. LOVE NEVER FELT SO GOOD
1983 Original Version - 8/10 (Love the simplicity & naivety of this track. Just MJ and a piano. Beautiful!.)
2014 John McClain Remix - 4/10 (Heard the first minute, an utter mess.)
2014 Timbaland Remix - 7/10 (A modern, groovy swanky spin that still somehow maintains the "essence" of the original. Would have been better without those cliche JT "Future/Sex" Ad-libs ["Dance" "Lemme See You Dance"]
2. CHICAGO
1999 Original Version - 6/10 [Sounds like something off Monica's / Brandy's 98 albums. Michael's vocals don't disappoint though. Vigorous and on point as usual.
2014 Timbaland Remix - 7/10 [Not Bad. Doesn't add much to the original though.]
3. LOVING YOU
1980's Original Version - 9/10 [Love it!. Sounds like a crossover between "Fly Away" & Randy's (Janet's) "One More Chance". It's sweet, breezy, melodic and simple. Definitely understand why it didn't make the BAD album though. Come to think about it, it sounds Pre-BAD, maybe something in the early stages, right after Victory. Before Michael even had a blueprint with Quincy for BAD.
2014 Timbaland Remix - 5/10 [ A good song is a good song. All Tim does here is add a few stomps and some bass, i'm not sure since I only heard the first minute or so. But yea, stick to the original.]
4. A PLACE WITH NO NAME
1999 Original Version - 8/10 [Mike's own beautiful rendition to this American rock classic while still maintaining the essence of the original. That's how you cover songs people. Take notes. And the rawness, grittiness and passion in his vocals are a true highlight here.
2014 Stargate Remix - 3/10 [A joke. Seriously. Pass. Its not even worth talking about]
5. SLAVE TO THE RHYTHM
1989 Original Version - 5/10 [The weakest outtake here. I understand why MJ decided to cut off Babyface and L.A Reid from the Dangerous project. Their production just lacked that "spark" & "velocity" that he was looking for in my opinion. This sounds like a pop version of Sade's "Smooth Operator" but on steroids, especially the chorus. Then again both were recorded in the 80's.
2014 Timbaland Remix - 3/10 [I swear the intro sounds similar to JT's "Amnesia" (which Tim also produced), anyway, this is too cluttered even for my modern taste with all its electronic bleeps & glitches. Wanna a decent contemporary version?, go check out Tricky Stewart's remix in 2010. Way more supreme.
6. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN ARE
1980s Original Version - 7/10 [I actually prefer this one to the leaked 2010 version. Sounds a lot more genuine and authentic. It's a perfect fusion of Pop and somewhat, gospel. If the Andraé Crouch Choir had sang background vocals, it would have fitted perfectly on an album like HIStory or even Dangerous]
2014 Timbaland Remix - 5/10 [Not Bad, not great either. I admire Tim's effort on this one. The chorus slaps hard and the song actually picks up in the last quarter. Again, if you wanna a "contemporary" remix, the 2010 version will suffice]
7. BLUE GANGSTA
1999 Original Version - 8/10 [i don't know, something is off about this version, sounds so sluggish. It's like they drained all the energy and intensity out of it. Want my advice stick to the 2010 version, it ROCKS!!!. Mike sounds fierce, paranoid and smooth. Also, the 2010 version really brings out the lush harmonization, it'll give you chills.][2010 leaked version - 10/10]
2014 Timbaland Remix - 5/10 [Meh ... I don't think Tim really knew what to do with this one. Listen to the first minute, you'll understand what I mean.]
8. XSCAPE
2000's Original Version - 9/10 [Again, sounds a bit different than the leaked version but but the clarity of the vocals are superior on this version. You can actually make out what he's saying. This song grew on me through the years. Love it now.
2014 Rodney Jerkins Remix - 6/10 [So Rodney remixed his own track just for the sake of it? and made a mess of it. This sounds lazy and inconsistent. Almost a fan made mix. There's actually horns at some points throughout the song & they sound hilarious. However, I do like the synth work on the hook. That's vintage MJ there.
Final Thoughts ... Come on, lol ... Cop them originals off Itunes or Amazon. Re-Tag them and then add them to your collection of MJ unreleased /Demos /Outtakes.
