Xscape by Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was one of those rare artists that only thought in big ideas: it's why all of his albums are so short - he had no time for filler; even his weaker tracks feel like integral parts of his library. It's also why his "adult career", which started in 1979 with Off The Wall, and lasted 30 years until his death, produced only six studio albums. I guess it's testament to Jackson's appeal then that he became possibly the biggest artist in the world with only those six: when Lester Bangs, on the occasion of the King's death said we'd never agree on anything again like we agreed on Elvis he got it wrong by one.

Which hasn't stopped it from becoming a sort of universal joke that anytime someone mentions this "new" MJ album that we all laugh about the absurdity of MJ still bringing out material from beyond the grave and how the studios are just milking him dry, yet really not being surprised at all - probably more surprised that this is only the second posthumous MJ release -  and, for those of us who didn't think of the man as only a cultural commodity but genuinely liked his music, the prospect of a new album is exciting. And Xscape is successful in all accounts an album with material that the singer himself decided to keep unreleased could be; it's eight tracks - taken from forgotten back alleys dotted through all of Jackson's career - and if it isn't all great material it's still all as big and vibrant as Jackson's music always aimed to be.

The best track is Do You Know Where Your Children Are? which supports my belief that while Jackson was always a showcase of grandiosity, his best moments where when he found something smaller to focus on - his best produced tracks usually the most claustrophobic ones. Here Jackson spins a tale of a kid running away to Hollywood to escape an abusive step dad. When Jackson sings "she is tired of stepdaddy using her/Saying that he'll buy her things, while sexually abusing her" a line that could sound so false from most other singers but has a real authenticity, a real caring, from Jackson's voice, he manages to bypass the fact that his voice never became as deep as many of his contemporaries and finds a different type of masculinity.

Contrary to growing belief, Jackson finished all of the vocals to these tracks, and even finished the production on many too; Timbaland and Co., who were hired to do production on the album, are more here to give the album a sort of unity and not sound like a bunch of randomly selected tracks; they succeed, although it's still easy to tell where some of the tracks come from: opener Love Never Felt So Good, another highlight, could be from nowhere but the Off the Wall-Thriller era, with its sparkling enthusiasm and Jackson's vocals sounding like they're bouncing all over like a ray of light in a hall full of mirrors, and just the general care free enthusiasm of a singer making music for the joy of music and not something more personal.

There's enough good stuff here to make Xscape essential to anyone who likes Jackson - I've had A Place with No Name and Loving You on repeat; there's throwaway stuff here too, the title track for instance, but Jackson's worst moments are only when he's overdoing it, he was never boring. Xscape is further proof that Jackson is an artist worth exploring, not just experiencing.