Eurythmic's Full Review: Invincible by Michael Jackson
It's been six years since the release of Michael Jackson's last proper album HIStory. And even that was something of an oddity, having been bundled with a Greatest Hits collection. Many shoppers ignored the double gold CD set due to its steep price, and 2001 finds Michael Jackson facing a bit of an uphill battle. Dangerous was blown off of the charts by Nirvana and the rock revolution, and critics were quick to label Jackson a has-been, writing off the 1991 album and each subsequent release as irrelevant. However, in the past few years the charts have taken a distinct turn back in the direction of Pop - the genre which Jackson is supposed to be the King of. It seems there couldn't be a better time for Michael Jackson to make a comeback. So can he pull it off? Let's take a look at Invincible, one of the most hyped and anticipated records of 2001.
The album begins with Jackson actually sounding a bit set in his ways. We'll hear that on and off as the album progresses. Unbreakable contains a lot of the New Jack Swing elements that have been Jackson's main style for the last decade - and although there are some interesting melodic lines in the song's bridge, it isn't as worthwhile as the earlier New Jack Swing hits Jam and Scream. It also runs just a tad long at about six and a half minutes.
Michael, you took my advice! Heartbreaker is done in the Garage-Pop style, first introduced to many in N'Sync's album Celebrity. Suddenly, for the first time in years, we hear Michael Jackson sounding fresh and of the moment. Again, the song really shines at the bridge. Some great vocal layering and a cool chord progression bring the song to a skittering climax. I expect that this song will be released as a single.
Invincible has a bit more of the New Jack Swing influence, but it's disguised a bit by some clever production and instrument choices. To Jackson's credit, he does well writing a good melody to go over a backing track that sits on only one implied chord until the song's bridge. I have a bit of a complaint here, though: This makes the third song in a row that contains a rap break immediately after the bridge. It makes Invincible's first three songs bleed together a bit until you've listened to the album a few times.
Break Of Dawn is the album's first ballad, and I've got a feeling that a lot of people might disagree with me when I say that I find it to be a bit dull. It's well-produced, featuring some light jazz guitar and a '70s soul-esque flute, and Jackson's vocal phrasing is immaculate. But the song's hook just doesn't hold my attention.
I don't know what it is about Heaven Can Wait that bothers me. It features a melody unlike any that I've heard before, and it's a very creative song all around. But somehow, it grates on me anyway. Your mileage may vary!
You Rock My World is the album's lead single, and I describe it in great detail below - so I'll keep things short here. Now that the song's been out for a while, I still think it's one of the year's best singles. But, Invincible doesn't get much better from here - and that disappoints me a bit.
Butterflies is the first ballad on Invincible that really connects with me. In fact, I expect it to be released as a single. It's a slow, tightly swing groove with heavy hits on each downbeat. It's the first song on the album where Jackson really displays his flair for a wide melody - and his vocal performance is absolutely superb. It's amazing to see how Jackson has expanded his voice's low range, but his high range has hardly lost a note.
Ah yes, the torch song. Like 'em or hate 'em, the guy known for songs such as I'll Be There, We Are The World, and Heal The World - among others - practically personifies the genre. Speechless features an a capella introduction and coda, which are nice though perhaps a bit too precious for my taste. I could see this song being released as a single, though it borrows heavily from Jackson's earlier torch ballad You Are Not Alone. It definitely doesn't grow boring, running at just 3:18 including the a capella sections.
2000 Watts is currently my favorite song on Invincible, although I admit it's a bit lacking in creativity - featuring a typical tired three-note rock melody: F, G, and Bb. I just think the song has a great groove, and I'm entertained by the fact that the backing track is almost a verbatim copy of N'Sync's The Game Is Over. Jackson sings incredibly low - the lowest I've ever heard him sing, in fact. And it sounds really good. It's a lot of fun to hear him scream, "WHAT!!" like a rap star. I'm not sure if radio would accept a song with almost no melody, but this is a fun song and may make for a good single.
You Are My Life is a nice ballad in 12/8. It's also pretty nondescript in my opinion - but again, I know there are plenty of Michael Jackson listeners who just live for this kind of song.
Privacy really reminds me of something that could have come off of Bad, but I'm not sure if that's due to the subject matter or the song itself. The song is a slow, dirty rock groove about - wait for it - Michael Jackson wanting his privacy. HIStory was really Michael Jackson's grand statement against the media, and those songs were far more venomous than this one is. The song does, however, feature a guitar solo from Slash and a really cool orchestral backing - which reminds me a bit of what keyboardist Ed Shearmur composed for the Jimmy Page and Robert Plant song, Upon A Golden Horse.
Inspired again by Teen-Pop, Don't Walk Away could easily have been a single for the Backstreet Boys or N'Sync. This song, along with much of Invincible, is a fascinating study in the circuitousness of pop music. The main goal of the Teen-Pop revolution of the late 1990s was to recreate Thriller. Jackson, in turn, was inspired enough by this to take his own music in new directions. I could see this song being another single.
Featuring a great combination of vocal pops and tics, and a drum machine (a la Stranger In Moscow), Cry is another torch ballad. Although the melody isn't as creative as some others on this album, the song builds slowly and deliberately to a very dramatic climax. It's a bit of a retread of a lot of things that Jackson has done before. And even so, the song's final bars will probably leave the hair on the back of your neck standing.
I'm torn on The Lost Children. I admit that the St. Michael, Patron of the World's Children wears a bit thin as far as I'm concerned. But, the song is a nice waltz with a creative melody, and makes for a welcome change of pace.
Whatever Happens, a duet with Carlos Santana on acoustic and electric guitars, is probably Invincible's best moment. It's difficult to pick which song on this album would fare best as a single, but I'm going to have to give Whatever Happens the nod - Jackson's favorite melodic motifs work beautifully in a Latin setting, and this is one of the few tracks on Invincible that I can definitely stack up against much of Jackson's earlier work; not only because it's a great song, but because it doesn't sound similar to anything he's done before.
Invincible closes with a bit more New Jack Swing, in Threatened. It's a decent song, very relaxed and behind the beat, until kicking in at the chorus.
I'm really torn on Invincible. Part of this is based on the incredibly high expectations that I had for the album - I fully expected it to be Jackson's best album since Thriller, which it is (apologies to all the Bad fans out there). But, I also expected it to more closely approach the perfection of Jackson's enduring classic, which it doesn't. Maybe it's simply because the album is so long, and I haven't totally absorbed it yet - it is the longest single album I've ever heard, at 77 minutes. Back in the age of the 40 minute album, this epic would have been contained on two records. Imagine a track listing more like this:
1. You Rock My World
2. Heartbreaker
3. Butterflies
4. Speechless
5. 2000 Watts
6. Don't Walk Away
7. Cry
8. Threatened
9. Whatever Happens
10. Invincible
This brings the album down to a more traditional 10 track, 46:35 length. The rest of the tracks could have been saved for B-sides. An album isn't just about putting a collection of songs into one place - an album that is more concise hits harder, and feels more solid. And I think this song order would have worked to create a more cohesive "big picture". With this track listing, I think we'd be hearing a lot more comparisons to Thriller. You could argue that an artist who makes his fans wait six years for a proper album has to give them a lot of bang for their buck. It's my belief, though, that just like many great singles don't mean as much outside of the context of the albums from which they came, an otherwise album loses a lot of punch when too much filler is thrown in. But don't take my word for it - if you buy Invincible, try programming the tracks in this way and let me know what you think.
And I do recommend Invincible to all of you, despite my reservations. I haven't had the album long enough to stack it up against the best records of 2001, but I think that it will finish the year in my Top Five.
FINAL RATING: 3.25/5.
Thank you very much for reading my review, and please share your opinions with me!
(Original You Rock My World review preserved below)
I know I'm probably not in the majority anymore, but Michael Jackson has been the artist I've most wanted to see a new release from for quite a while now. The climate seems absolutely perfect for the self-styled King of Pop to make a comeback. Rock is out and pop is in, and the way current chart-toppers drop Jackson's name as an influence, you'd think he invented the genre.
Please note that I am simply commenting on Michael Jackson's new single, You Rock My World. The single has been out for exactly four hours as I type this review. The album, however, will not be released for over two more months. A few days before the album is released, this review will be deleted and re-written to reflect the content of the entire Invincible record.
Mainly, I'd just like to get people to listen to this song. When you're finished reading this, hop over to Michael Jackson's website - http://www.michaeljackson.com. The single is a free streaming download, available in all three major formats.
For some reason, Chris Rock makes a guest appearance in the song's spoken introduction - I would assume it's a video tie-in. But that is definitely not the first thing you'll notice.
Michael Jackson's speaking voice has suddenly dropped about an octave. Perhaps this is forced, but the change is certainly welcome.
If you want a groove, You Rock My World has it to spare. In fact, the entire backing track is an interesting juxtaposition of Jackson's earlier and later sounds. You've got the low bass, dry drums, snares very up front. These are all elements that Jackson has used from 1991-present. There's also an electric guitar playing one note, a la Puff Daddy's It's All About The Benjamins. Jackson hasn't used that one before. But after a few bars of this, the entire character of the song changes with the entry of a piano, synthesized strings, and what sounds like a Rhodes organ. These are all things that you'd expect to hear in a Thrller-era Rod Temperton tune.
My only problem here is that while the backing is terrific, the song's chorus is the only interesting melodic part. The chorus is done in the "newer" Michael Jackson style - several vocal tracks are layered on top of each other, and the harmonies are close enough that no single line really sticks out as the "tune".
The verses and bridge, on the other hand, are sung and phrased exactly the way Jackson would have in the early '80s.
My conclusion? You Rock My World isn't on the level of any of Thriller's tracks. But if all of Invincible is this good, it will easily be Jackson's best album since his 1982 masterpiece.
So, what are you waiting for? Go hear You Rock My World for yourself. What do you think about it? Please share your comments!
Six years since his last studio album, Michael Jackson releases Invincible, aptly-named for this enduring artist who demonstrates that his crown as ki...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.