Xscape Review
The beautiful mindsets of what Michael Jackson had left in his vaults are lost gems and treasures for us to enjoy. The newly contemporized songs of the music left behind by the King of Pop holds the vibe among Michael Jackson’s masterpieces such as Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous and etc. The album, Xscape, is the 2nd posthumous album by Sony and the Michael Jackson Estate mainly constructed of unheard Michael Jackson tracks ranging from 1983-1999. The album will be available worldwide on May 13th of 2014. The theme of the project is “The Best You’ve Never Heard” as the team of producers contemporized and updated the songs to fit into today’s music. The music of Michael is timeless but it is to make Michael relevant to the future generations, especially in today’s generation.
Love Never Felt So Good – A beautiful introduction of the album, a symphony same concept from Hold My Hand. This track is the premiere single for this album; some fans doubted Sony and the Estate’s move because the demo was slightly weak and would not do right for the critics and the public. They were wrong. It premiered on iHeart Radio Music Awards on the first day of May and the whole world was astounded by it. Positive reviews from the critics and the public, radio demands and sales were high that it spanned on #20 Billboard’s Hot 100 and #6 on Hot RnB/Hip-Hop Songs. It is because the track is mainly composed of a great production that you will two-step as you hear Michael sing ‘Baby! Every time I love you it’s in-out my life…love never felt so good!” There is a remix with Justin Timberlake available and it seemingly got the attention of the public even more! 4/5
Chicago – Once again, Michael talks about being played by a woman. “She lied to you, lied to me!” he roars as he explains the situation he was brought into. The story is about a girl whom he met and fell in love with her. Eventually the truth starts to unfold and unfortunately enough, the girl she met has a family. This song should definitely be on the same place along with Billie Jean and Dirty Diana. 5/5
Loving You – Remember when Michael would do a ballad and it would lift you up from sadness and make you feel “Hey, life’s not so bad after all”. This beautiful piece is much like what we heard before (Fly Away and Free) but only with a different music production - much like Best of Joy – the classic ballad from the album ‘Michael’ in which the track I personally like.
“…’cus I’ve been feeling down and blue and it’s cloudy in my head. Instead of going out to some restaurants, I’ll stay home in bed.” 5/5
A Place With No Name – Keep in mind that I won’t be comparing nor judge this version to the leaked version we have heard a couple months ago. This newly contemporized version begins with the Leave Me Alone melody and an infectious, funky beat, then, “As I drove across on the highway…” Despite having mixed feelings about this version, it slowly grew on me and yes, it is a great remix by Stargate! It is very much like Nero’s remix of Speed Demon, Leave Me Alone and shadows of Billie Jean (played by the synths in the background of the verses). I’ll give it a 5/5.
Slave to the Rhythm – Another Timbaland Production, this version I would say, should have been worked on a lot more – sounds unfinished and rushed through. The introduction is very theatrical, dramatic, and scenic as you hear the chains clinging but guess what? This is an alternate version of the King of Pop’s original version of “Slave”; very classical and theatrical, as the slaves are being transferred. Timbo’s version is a pop techno but there could be a reason for that; the original version has electronic synths just like the ones you hear in an old video game, like Sonic the Hedgehog. Props to Timbo for keeping the vibe Michael wanted! It’s a 4/5 for me.
Do You Know Where Your Children Are – The introduction gives you like an earworm that you just cannot get off your head. My take on the music production for this is nothing else but juxtaposition. An electric synth happily to bring you into a world of happiness but on the other hand, the haunting words being narrated to you just kills the vibe for me. The expression that Michael had in his voice on the 2010 version we heard was much stronger than this one, it showed emotion, sadness, persuasion, and passion. Maybe I was too hype to hear this track because almost everyone said that this is the highlight of the album. It’s a 3.5/5
Blue Gangsta – This is the ‘Best I’ve Never Heard’ for me! The introduction is much like the one from Ben Liebrand’s Smooth Criminal remix. Just one thing I want to say for this particular track is that Timbaland drops the beat uncontrollably on this one in chorus. A definite 5/5 for me!
Xscape – For the intro, Michael does his amazing beatboxing skills and, then, all of a sudden, in a matter of time, ‘DARKCHILD’ and BAM! Michael and Darkchild drops the beat! It’s very moving than the 2002 mix we heard, it is very vibrant, and strong. And get this, A TRUMPET SOLO. This track made me want to get up and dance more than ‘Slave’! ( I didn’t though, I stomped my foot.) This has got to be the best closing song for an album since Thriller with “Lady In My Life”! Perfect 5/5 for me!
As a whole I will give the album 9.0/10 because the album being short but it should always be quality over quantity. But they could have added a couple more songs; L.A. Reid picked 24 songs for the album and cut it down to 14, then 8. This album will definitely save the music that is longing for a classic Michael Jackson tune to save it. Xscape should be an example for future posthumous albums, perfect team, perfect timing and perfect everything. In conclusion, this album is all composed of an adventure, a story, passion, a world like we’ve never seen before, and just makes you get away, to escape and relive the past, present, and the future, it is just simply escapism.
