Michael | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | December 10, 2010 | |||
Recorded |
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Length | 41:34 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Michael Jackson chronology | ||||
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Singles from Michael | ||||
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Michael is a posthumous album by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released on December 10, 2010, by Epic Records and Sony Music Entertainment. Michael is the first release of all-new Michael Jackson material since Invincible in 2001 and the seventh overall release since Jackson's death in 2009. The album was produced by Theron "Neff-U" Feemster, John McClain, Giorgio Tuinfort, Teddy Riley, and Brad Buxer, among others, and features guest performances by Akon and Lenny Kravitz.
Michael debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 albums chart and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States. It produced four singles: "Hold My Hand", "Hollywood Tonight", "Behind the Mask", and "(I Like) The Way You Love Me", accompanied by music videos. "Hold My Hand" was a Billboard Hot 100 top 40 hit and has been certified Gold in the US.
In 2022, three songs—"Keep Your Head Up", "Monster" and "Breaking News"—were removed from streaming and physical versions of the album, after nearly 12 years of controversy concerning the authenticity of Jackson's vocals. Subsequent CD reissues have had the three songs removed.
Announced on November 12, 2010, Michael initially featured 10 tracks. [1] "Breaking News" was the first song from the album to be released and was available for radio airplay. According to Sony, the song was recorded in the home studio of Jackson family friend Eddie Cascio in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey in autumn 2007 and had been "recently brought to completion." [2] [1] [3]
In the years prior to his death, Jackson was reported to be working with contemporary hitmakers such as singer-songwriter Akon and producer RedOne. [4] The first official single from Michael, "Hold My Hand", was a duet with Akon recorded in late December 2007 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. [5] Co-writer Claude Kelly told HitQuarters that it was the song's theme of friendship and togetherness that had struck a chord with Jackson. [6] A handwritten note from Michael belonging to his Estate indicated his desire that "Hold My Hand" be the first single on his next project. However, in its unfinished state, the song leaked on June 30, 2008. [7] Before the release, Akon stated that the final version would have more of Jackson's vocals. The song was released globally on Monday, November 15 at 12:01 am EST. [8] [9]
Prior to the album's release, a lawyer for Jackson's father Joe stated that Jackson was a perfectionist and "would never have wanted his unfinished material to be released". [10] Jackson collaborator will.i.am said it was "disrespectful" to release the material, as Jackson was not able to approve it. [11]
Musically, Michael contains a mixture of styles, including R&B, pop, rock, dance, hip hop, funk and gospel. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] Thematically, the album features "inspirational, uplifting anthems" and "melodic, sweetly sung ballads" alongside more pointed songs levelling criticism at the news media, Hollywood and society in general. [18] Jackson wrote or co-wrote five of the seven tracks. [15]
The majority of the songs on the album were written and recorded during the Invincible (2001) era and onwards to the This Is It (2009) era. The album also contains two songs that were written during the Thriller (1982) era: "Behind the Mask" [19] and "Much Too Soon". [20] The latter features Australian musician Tommy Emmanuel on guitar. [21] The song "(I Like) The Way You Love Me" previously appeared on The Ultimate Collection (2004) as an unreleased track, under the title "The Way You Love Me", but was re-arranged for Michael with additional vocals. [22] The song "Best of Joy" is one of the last that Jackson recorded during his lifetime and was rewritten and recorded by him in November 2008 at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, California, the year prior to his death. [16] [23] [24]
The album cover artwork, a 2009 commissioned oil painting by African American artist Kadir Nelson, features two putti (one black, one white) placing a crown on Jackson's head against a mural depicting the images of the singer at different stages in his career. [2] Nelson said that Jackson approached him several years ago to create a project detailing his life and career. The project stalled but was revived in 2009 by one of the estate's executors, John McClain, [4] who had worked with Michael's sister Janet during her time at A&M. "Michael wears a golden suit of armor and stares at the viewer as he is crowned by cupids," Nelson said. "He places his hand over his heart and looks directly at the viewer, a symbol of Jackson's big heart and strong connection to his fans and music. A monarch butterfly sits on his shoulder, another symbol of Jackson's metamorphosis as a singer and entertainer, as well as a symbol of royalty. His musical history unfolds behind him." [4] [25] The original Sony publicity release of the album cover featured the Prince symbol in a bubble next to the tiger's head, which sparked discussion on the internet as to whether Prince was involved with any of the new songs. The official response from Prince's camp was "No permission was granted", and the symbol was subsequently removed from the cover on all official Sony websites. [26]
"Breaking News" was the first song from the album to be unveiled. On November 5, 2010, a video teaser for the song was released on Jackson's official website. It opens with a montage of various television journalists reporting breaking news about Jackson, followed by the musical introduction of a song. [27] The montage refers to the tabloid stories and legal troubles that plagued Jackson in the years leading up to his death. [28] On November 8, the full length version of the song was released, [29] and made available on MichaelJackson.com for one week. [2] The premiere of the song launched the public controversy about the authenticity of the vocals that plagued the album all the way through its promo campaign and ultimately resulted in lower than projected sales. [30] [31] The rumored single of another controversial Cascio song, "Monster", was subsequently cancelled.
The album's first single, "Hold My Hand", was released on November 15. [8] [2] The filming of the official video began on Saturday, November 20, in Tustin, California. A casting call was posted on Jackson's official website, stating that the filmmakers were "looking for his fans of all ages who want to be a part of this iconic event." [32] On November 30, the final version of "Much Too Soon" was unveiled, and it was announced that the song would be streaming on iTunes Ping for one week. [33] On December 3, talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres premiered the song "Hollywood Tonight" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show . [34] On December 6, talk show host Oprah Winfrey premiered "Keep Your Head Up" and "Monster" on The Oprah Winfrey Show . [35] On December 7, the final version of "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" was unveiled on iTunes Ping for one week. [36]
On December 8, the entire Michael album was released on Jackson's official website for preview. [37] On Friday, December 10, a 29,070-square-foot (2,701 m2) poster depicting the Michael album artwork was erected at the Rectory Farm in Middlesex, which broke a Guinness world record for the largest poster in the world, making it Jackson's fourth entry in Guinness World Records and the first record he broke posthumously. The poster, made of PVC and weighing one ton, took engineers three hours to install and was located less than 3,000 meters from one of Heathrow airport's main runways, making it viewable by all planes arriving and departing. The poster stayed at that location until December 23, after which it traveled via sea-container into continental Europe, where it was toured and displayed. [38] Sony Music had a listening party for the album at Roseland Ballroom on December 13.
"Hollywood Tonight" was the album's second official single, [39] released in Italy on February 11, 2011 [40] and in Poland on February 14. [41] The third single, "Behind the Mask", was released in France on February 21. [42] The fourth and final single, "(I Like) The Way You Love Me", was released as a digital single in South Korea on January 18 and was formally released to Italian [43] and Chinese [44] radio stations in July 2011.
The authenticity of the vocals on the tracks "Breaking News", "Keep Your Head Up", and "Monster" is disputed. [45] The tracks, along with nine other unreleased songs leaked online ("Stay", "All Right" (a.k.a. "Everything's Just Fine"), "Black Widow", "Burn Tonight", "All I Need", "Water", "Fall in Love", "Ready 2 Win", and "Soldier Boy"), are known as the Cascio tracks. [46] They are attributed to Jackson, Eddie Cascio and James Porte and were allegedly recorded in the Cascios' basement in 2007, according to the documentary detailing the making of the album. [47] [48] "Stay", "All I Need", and "Burn Tonight", were at one point considered for the album and mixed by Teddy Riley in 2010. [46] Doubts over whether the vocals were by Jackson have been raised by his mother Katherine Jackson, his children Prince and Paris, [49] his sister La Toya, [50] his nephews T.J., Taj, and Taryll, [51] music producer will.i.am, [52] and fans. [53] Jackson's brother Randy Jackson claimed that family members were not allowed at his studio where the album was being completed. [54] According to Randy, when producer Teddy Riley played him some of the tracks, "I immediately said it wasn't his voice". [54]
"@lmSoBlue Dude if you don't leave me the funk alone about this bullish. Funk off ninja...I didn't do the funking song I just mixed it. My work speak for itself. Now go to the funking Cascios. I'm sure they got a twitter. That goes for all of you. I was giving a problem that involved my bestfriend and sign a contract to remix what I had. It was too late for me to turn back so I finished out the project. Now if you want me to apologize for that, yes I'm funkin sorry I did it. Now leave me the hell alone. Ok!!!"
Before the premiere of "Breaking News", Sony Music Group stated it had "complete confidence in the results of our extensive research, as well as the accounts of those who were in the studio with Michael, that the vocals on the new album are his own". [56] Producer Riley, Frank DiLeo and Jackson's estate defended Sony's claims that the song is authentic. [57] On December 6, 2010, the Cascio family appeared on Oprah, where Eddie Cascio insisted the songs were sung by Jackson, and showed the studio where he had allegedly recorded the songs. Riley, who had worked on "Monster" and "Breaking News", said that the confusion had come about as a product of processing Jackson's vocals using software such as Melodyne. [58] In September 2013, almost three years after the album release, Riley wrote on Twitter that his participation in the project had been "set up". [59] [ better source needed ] In a September 2022 interview, Riley finally admitted that the Cascio tracks are fake and weren't sung by Michael, adding that he was "influenced and pushed to say the things that were said." [60]
Fans have suggested that Italian-American R&B singer Jason Malachi recorded vocals for the tracks, but this was denied by the Jackson estate's lawyer. [57] On January 16, 2011, a statement appeared on Malachi's Facebook page "confessing" to recording the vocals and aplogizing to Michael's fans; [61] however, Malachi later claimed on MySpace that his Facebook and website had been hacked. Malachi's manager Thad Nauden stated that "someone created a phony Facebook page in Jason's name. Jason wants everyone to know beyond a shadow of a doubt, he did not sing a single note on the album". Nauden later retracted the claim that the Facebook account wasn't Malachi's, but maintained that Malachi wasn't involved in the Michael album. [62]
On June 12, 2014, a consumer who had purchased Michael filed a class-action lawsuit against Sony Music, the Jackson Estate, MJJ Productions, Cascio and Porte for violation of consumer laws, unfair competition and fraud. The complaint was based on an expert report prepared by forensic phonetician Dr. George Papcun that contested the authenticity of the vocals. According to the lawsuit, the report had been peer-reviewed and supported by a second well-credentialed independent audio expert. [63] Sony, the Estate, Cascio and Porte raised First Amendment defense, claiming that regardless of the songs' authenticity, they had a constitutional right to attribute them to Jackson. [64] On June 30, 2016, the judge refused to grant defendants' motion and ordered that the case proceeds to class certification. On August 23, 2018, some sources reported that Sony had admitted in court that the vocals on the Cascio songs were not performed by Jackson. The next day, Sony lawyer Zia Modabber dismissed the reports, stating that "no one has conceded that Michael Jackson did not sing on the songs". [65]
On June 29, 2022, a spokesperson for Jackson's website reported that the three tracks would no longer be available on YouTube, Apple Music or Spotify, stating, "The Estate and Sony Music believe the continuing conversation about the tracks is distracting the fan community and casual Michael Jackson listeners from focusing their attention where it should be — on Michael's legendary and deep music catalog." [66]
The album credits Dave Grohl with drums on the track "(I Can't Make It) Another Day". Grohl confirmed that he had recorded for the track but said he was not contacted afterwards and that the final track does not feature his playing, The drums sounds present in the track were done by Lenny Kravitz. [67]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 54/100 [68] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [69] |
Chicago Tribune | [70] |
Entertainment Weekly | B [71] |
The Guardian | [72] |
Los Angeles Times | [73] |
NME | 5/10 [17] |
Rolling Stone | [15] |
Slant Magazine | [74] |
Spin | 6/10 [75] |
Michael received mixed reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 54, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". [68] Despite media skepticism and some dissent within Jackson family ranks, reviews largely found Michael better than expected. [14] Joseph Vogel of The Huffington Post stated that "the bottom line is this: Michael contains some very impressive new material" and "His habits, his obsessions, his versatility, and his genius are on display at every turn. Who else could move so seamlessly from social anthem to floor burner, fleet hip hop to cosmic rock, vintage funk to poignant folk ballad?" [16]
Dan Martin of NME called the album "kind of enjoyable" but commented that "if this decent-enough album is the best of the bunch, things are going to get ugly from here on in". [17] Neil McCormick of The Telegraph called the album "a fine album" and stated that "It is certainly a great deal better than anyone had any right to expect. Jackson is finally about to get the comeback he craved." [18] Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone thought the album was "not a Michael Jackson album", and Jackson "would not have released anything like this compilation, a grab bag of outtakes and outlines," but "it's a testament to the man's charisma that Michael can be compelling." [15] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly called it "certainly no great affront to his name", while The New York Times said it was a "miscellany of familiar Jackson offerings: inspirational, loving, resentful and paranoid." [71] [14]
Kitty Empire in The Observer said Jackson sounded "paler, more emaciated, more effects-laden" than on his classic songs, such as "Billie Jean". [13] She characterized the album as a "hotchpotch of odds and sods that often make plain their co-authors" but singled out the "breezy" and "carefree" "(I Like) The Way That You Love Me" and the "pugnacious" "Hollywood Tonight" for praise. [13] The Reno Gazette-Journal gave the album 3 stars out of 4, [76] while the Toronto Sun gave it 3 stars out of 5. [77] Nima Baniamer of Contactmusic.com gave the album 4 stars out of 5 and stated that Jackson still seemed to hold the capability to effortlessly transgress music genres. Baniamer also commented, "It wouldn't be a decent Jackson record if it wasn't surrounded by controversy. 'Breaking News' is a great track that touches upon the media's obsession with the pop icon; ironically a track further surrounded by dispute as fans have claimed that it may not even be Jackson's own voice on the track." [12]
The album was released by Epic Records and Sony Music Entertainment. [78] [15] It debuted at number one in Germany, selling 85,000 copies in its first week. [79] The album also debuted at number one in Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden. [79] In the United States, Michael debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 228,000 copies, [31] followed by 150,000 the next week, but in subsequent weeks, its total sales had shrunk to 27,000 units, 18,000 units and then 11,000 units for the week ending on January 16, 2011. [80] The album debuted at number five in France, with first-week sales of 26,689 copies. [81] In Germany, Michael was the biggest debut of the year, selling 85,000 copies in its first week. [82] In Denmark, the album debuted at number four, selling 4,936 copies in its first week. [83] On December 19, 2010, the album opened in the United Kingdom at number four with sales of 113,000, which was Jackson's biggest opening sales week in the United Kingdom since the release of Dangerous nearly 20 years before. [84] In its first five weeks, the album sold over 434,000 copies in the United States but failed to match sales of the previous year's soundtrack album Michael Jackson's This Is It, which sold 890,000 copies in five weeks. [85] In the same week, the album was certified platinum by the RIAA for shipping over a million copies. [86]
Michael received numerous gold and platinum certifications worldwide. [87]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Hold My Hand" (with Akon) (recorded in 2007) |
| 3:33 | |
2. | "Hollywood Tonight" (spoken bridge by Taryll Jackson) (recorded in 1999–2000 during the Invincible sessions and later through 2007–2008) |
|
| 4:30 |
3. | "Keep Your Head Up" |
|
| 4:51 |
4. | "(I Like) The Way You Love Me" (recorded in 1998–2004 during and after the Invincible sessions and later from 2007–2008) | M. Jackson |
| 4:34 |
5. | "Monster" (featuring 50 Cent) |
|
| 5:05 |
6. | "Best of Joy" (recorded in 2008) | M. Jackson |
| 3:02 |
7. | "Breaking News" |
|
| 4:14 |
8. | "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" (featuring Lenny Kravitz) (recorded in 1999–2001 during the Invincible sessions) | Lenny Kravitz |
| 3:55 |
9. | "Behind the Mask" (recorded in 1982 during the Thriller sessions) |
|
| 5:02 |
10. | "Much Too Soon" (recorded in 1994 during the HIStory sessions) | M. Jackson |
| 2:48 |
Total length: | 41:34 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Hold My Hand" (with Akon) (recorded in 2007) |
| 3:33 | |
2. | "Hollywood Tonight" (spoken bridge by Taryll Jackson) (recorded in 1999–2000 during the Invincible sessions and later through 2007–2008) |
|
| 4:30 |
3. | "(I Like) The Way You Love Me" (recorded in 1998–2004 during and after the Invincible sessions and later from 2007–2008) | M. Jackson |
| 4:34 |
4. | "Best of Joy" (recorded in 2008) | M. Jackson |
| 3:02 |
5. | "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" (featuring Lenny Kravitz) (recorded in 1999–2001 during the Invincible sessions) | Lenny Kravitz |
| 3:55 |
6. | "Behind the Mask" (recorded in 1982 during the Thriller sessions) |
|
| 5:02 |
7. | "Much Too Soon" (recorded in 1994 during the HIStory sessions) | M. Jackson |
| 2:48 |
Total length: | 27:24 |
Notes
Credits adapted from Michael album liner notes (2010 edition). [89]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [142] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [143] | Platinum | 20,000* |
Belgium (BEA) [144] | Platinum | 30,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [145] | Platinum | 80,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [146] | Platinum | 30,000^ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [147] | Gold | 14,928 [147] |
France (SNEP) [148] | 2× Platinum | 200,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [149] | Platinum | 200,000‡ |
Hungary (MAHASZ) [150] | Gold | 3,000^ |
Ireland (IRMA) [151] | Gold | 7,500^ |
Italy (FIMI) [152] | 2× Platinum | 120,000* |
Japan (RIAJ) [153] | Gold | 100,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [154] | Gold | 25,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [155] | Gold | 7,500^ |
Poland (ZPAV) [156] | Platinum | 20,000* |
Portugal (AFP) [157] | Gold | 10,000^ |
Russia (NFPF) [158] | 2× Platinum | 20,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [138] | Platinum | 60,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [159] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [160] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [86] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI) [161] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Label | Format |
---|---|---|---|
Australia [162] | December 10, 2010 | Sony Music | CD |
Austria | |||
Belgium [163] | |||
Argentina [164] | |||
Sweden [165] | |||
United Kingdom [166] | December 13, 2010 | ||
Philippines [167] | December 14, 2010 | ||
Taiwan [168] | |||
United States [169] | Epic | ||
Colombia [170] | Sony Music | CD | |
Brazil [171] | |||
Japan [172] | December 15, 2010 | Sony Music Japan | |
China | December 24, 2010 [173] | Sony Music China | |
January 14, 2011 [174] | Digital download |
Thriller is the sixth studio album by the American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, released on November 29, 1982, by Epic Records. It was produced by Quincy Jones, who previously worked with Jackson on his album Off the Wall (1979). Jackson wanted to create an album where "every song was a killer". With the ongoing backlash against disco music at the time, he moved in a new musical direction, resulting in a mix of pop, post-disco, rock, funk, synth-pop, and R&B sounds, and darker themes. Paul McCartney is the first credited appearance of a featured artist on a Jackson album. Recording took place from April to November 1982 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, with a budget of $750,000.
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is a double album by American singer Michael Jackson, released on June 20, 1995. It consists of the greatest hits album, HIStory Begins, in addition to his ninth studio album, HIStory Continues. HIStory Begins was his first hits compilation not to be released on the Motown label and his first to contain material originally released through Epic Records, spanning from 1979 through 1991. HIStory Continues comprises new material written and produced by Jackson and collaborators. It was Jackson's fifth album released through Epic Records, and the first on his label MJJ Productions. The album includes appearances by Janet Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal, Slash, and the Notorious B.I.G. Its genres span R&B, pop, and hip hop with elements of hard rock and funk rock. The themes include environmental awareness, isolation, greed, suicide, injustice, and Jackson's conflicts with the media.
Invincible is the tenth and final studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on October 30, 2001, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's last album before his death in 2009. It features appearances from Carlos Santana, the Notorious B.I.G., and Slash. It incorporates R&B, pop and soul, and similarly to Jackson's previous material, the album explores themes such as love, romance, isolation, media criticism, and social issues. Sales of Invincible are estimated at 8 and 10 million copies, according to different sources.
"Thriller" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 11, 1983 in the United Kingdom and on January 23, 1984, in the United States, as the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album, Thriller.
Triumph is the fourteenth studio album by the Jacksons, released on September 26, 1980, by Epic Records.
"You Are Not Alone" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995). It was released on August 15, 1995, by Epic and Sony, as the second single from the album.
American singer Michael Jackson (1958–2009) released twelve compilation albums, ten studio albums, one video albums, one remix albums and seven re- reissues, or soundtrack albums. Since his death, two albums of unreleased tracks have been posthumously released. Jackson made his debut in 1964 at the age of five with The Jackson 5, who were prominent performers during the 1970s. Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists in history with over 500 million records sold worldwide. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Jackson has sold 89 million certified albums in the United States.
American singer Michael Jackson released 67 singles as a lead artist, and 10 as a featured artist. One of the best-selling artists of all time, Michael Jackson has sold over 500 million records worldwide. In the United States, Jackson amassed 13 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and was the first artist to have a top-ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades. In 2012, Jackson was ranked the fifth best selling singles artist in the United Kingdom with 15.3 million singles sold.
"Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, Thriller (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produced by Quincy Jones, and co-produced by Jackson. Jones encouraged Jackson to include a rock song on the album. Jackson later said: "I wanted to write a song, the type of song that I would buy if I were to buy a rock song... and I wanted the children to really enjoy it—the school children as well as the college students." It includes a guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen.
Dangerous is the eighth studio album by American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 26, 1991, more than four years after Jackson's previous album, Bad (1987). Co-produced by Jackson, Bill Bottrell, Teddy Riley, and Bruce Swedien, the album was Jackson's first since Forever, Michael (1975) without longtime collaborator Quincy Jones. Guest appearances include Heavy D, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Slash and Wreckx-n-Effect. The album incorporates R&B, pop and new jack swing, a popular genre at the time. Elements of industrial, funk, hip hop, electronic, gospel, classical and rock are also present. Jackson wrote or co-wrote 12 of the album's 14 songs, discussing topics like racism, poverty, romance, self-improvement, multiculturalism and the welfare of children and the world.
Off the Wall is the fifth studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, and the first produced by Quincy Jones, whom he met while working on the 1978 film The Wiz. Several critics observed that Off the Wall was crafted from disco, pop, funk, R&B, soft rock and Broadway ballads. Its lyrical themes include escapism, liberation, loneliness, hedonism and romance. The album features songwriting contributions from Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Rod Temperton, Tom Bahler, and David Foster, alongside three tracks penned by Jackson himself.
"This Is It" is a song co-written by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson and Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka. The song was recorded by the former and featured as a track on the album of the same name which accompanies the 2009 concert documentary Michael Jackson's This Is It.
Animal is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Kesha. The album was first released on January 1, 2010 by Sony Music, and was released in the United States on January 5, 2010, by RCA Records. Kesha worked on the album with a variety of record producers and songwriters such as Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Benny Blanco, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin, Max Martin and others. Kesha had been recording demos for several years when one eventually ended up in the hands of Samantha Cox, senior director of writer/publisher relations at BMI. Cox passed along the demo and it ended up in the hands of Gottwald, who decided to have Kesha perform on the song "Right Round" with American rapper Flo Rida. Within two months, the song became a hit in multiple countries around the world. The event led to Kesha being sought after by many major labels, and she eventually signed a multi-album deal with RCA Records.
"Breaking News" is a song credited to American recording artist Michael Jackson. The song is said to have been written by Jackson, Eddie Cascio and James Porte, produced by Teddy Riley, Cascio and Jackson, and was included on the 2010 edition of his first posthumous album, Michael. Along with "Monster" and "Keep Your Head Up", the song was allegedly recorded in the Porte/Cascios' basement in 2007. These tracks have been controversial since their release, with Jackson's fans and family members doubting their authenticity since release. As of August 2018, there is a pending court case as to whether a Jackson sound-alike named Jason Malachi was used for the lead vocal of the song.
"Hold My Hand" is a duet performed by American singer-songwriters Michael Jackson and Akon, from Jackson's first posthumous album Michael (2010). The song was originally recorded by Akon and Jackson in December 2007. The song was an international top 10 hit in nations such as Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Loud is the fifth studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on November 12, 2010, by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. The album was recorded between February and August 2010, during the singer's Last Girl on Earth tour (2010–2011) and the filming of her first feature film Battleship (2012). Rihanna and L.A. Reid were the executive producers of Loud and worked with various record producers, including Stargate, Sandy Vee, The Runners, Tricky Stewart and Alex da Kid. The album features several guest vocalists, including rappers Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Eminem, who is featured on the sequel to "Love the Way You Lie", titled "Love the Way You Lie ".
"(I Like) The Way You Love Me" is a song by American singer and recording artist Michael Jackson included on his posthumous album Michael, which was released in South Korea as a digital single on January 18, 2011, and released in Italian radio stations on July 8, 2011. The song previously appeared on The Ultimate Collection (2004) with the title "The Way You Love Me" as an unreleased track, with that version also appearing on the French edition of the compilation King of Pop. Shortly before Jackson's death, the song was re-arranged and more vocals were added. A clip of the song was remixed and released on the 2-disc deluxe edition of the Immortal album on November 21, 2011.
"Monster" is a song credited to American singer and recording artist Michael Jackson, featuring American rapper 50 Cent, released on the 2010 edition of Jackson's first posthumous album, Michael. The song was allegedly written by Jackson, Eddie Cascio, James Porte, and its rap part was written by Curtis Jackson. Along with "Breaking News" and "Keep Your Head Up", the song was allegedly recorded in the Porte/Cascios' basement in 2007. These tracks have been controversial since their release, with Jackson's fans and family members doubting their authenticity.
Immortal is a remix album of music originally recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, released on November 18, 2011, by Epic Records. The album is also a soundtrack to Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour, which debuted on October 2, 2011, in Montreal. It was preceded by the release of the title track in the form of a megamix: "Immortal Megamix: "Can You Feel It" / "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" / "Billie Jean" / "Black or White" which features the songs: "Can You Feel It", "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Billie Jean" and "Black or White".
Xscape is the second posthumous album by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released on May 9, 2014, by Epic Records, MJJ Music and Sony Music Entertainment. Xscape is the tenth release by Sony and/or Motown since Jackson's death in 2009. L.A. Reid, chairman of Epic Records, curated and served as executive producer for the album, enlisting Timbaland to lead a team of record producers, including Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, Rodney Jerkins, Stargate, and John McClain, to remix and "contemporize" the eight selected tracks. The album was #1 in its first week of release in worldwide sales.
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