Last night at the iHeartRadioMusic Awards, we got to hear the first track off Michael Jackson’s second posthumous album, Xscape.
“Love Never Felt So Good” is a duet with former MJ protege Justin Timberlake. The production is Off The Wall-esque, but do we truly need “new” music from the fallen icon?
To be fair, the new single isn’t bad.
L.A. Reid recruited one of Michael’s closest writing partners in Paul Anka to flesh out the track, which adds to the nostalgia factor. However, the magic that made Michael Jackson Michael Jackson should be left in the grave.
The cast of musicians and producers that have been used to extend Michael’s legacy are prolific in their own right. But still, having Timbaland, Questlove, and Rodney Jerkins doesn’t take away from the fact that albums don’t sell the way they do in the past.
After his death, Sony constructed a deal with the Jackson estate that included music and film rights – it has since generated more than one billion dollars. A glorified EP of eight tracks is a novel way to introduce first time fans to the man that was MJ, but it also short-changes his legacy.
We’ve seen Puff Daddy drag out Biggie’s musical offering with two more albums after his 1997 shooting. Timbaland and Missy were offended when Drake decided to release tracks featuring Aaliyah, though he never met her. And the most egregious example of not letting our icons rest is 2Pac, with a whopping six albums after that one dreadful night in Las Vegas.
Stretching some of our favorite musicians’ catalogue after their demise will always be met with mixed results. It’s a situation that the King of Pop shouldn’t have to go through again.
Grio fam, will you buy Michael Jackson’s Xscape? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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