Does anyone remember Damita Jo?
Few actually recall Janet Jackson’s 8th studio album, the project largely drowned out by the now infamous Bodice-ripping seen ‘round the world. Her 2004 Super Bowl’s wardrobe malfunction had the ancillary effect of consigning Damita Jo to the dustbin of album flops. A most unfortunate outcome indeed, not least of which because Michael Jackson’s little sister had become an icon in her own right, independent of her more famous sibling. Everyone remembers the Super Bowl halftime show. What most fail to recognize, however, is that Damita Jo was in fact a damn good album. Had ‘Nipplegate” not metastasized into a massive controversy –and heralded the twilight of Ms. Jackson-if-you’re-nasty’s career —Damita Jo would easily have ranked alongside Control and Rhythm Nation as one of her most iconic albums.
All of which brings us to Xscape, Michael Jackson’s second posthumous album, which arrives five years after the King of Pop’s untimely and scandal-scarred demise. Five years is an eternity in the music business, but interest in The Gloved One remains near all-time highs. Like his deceased forerunners Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, who have churned out hits from beyond the grave for years, Jackson fans’ willingness to buy his records are a testament to his lengthy and diffuse career. In the intervening years, however, MJ’s legacy has been dogged by seemingly hydra-headed controversies that are at least as big a distraction from his music as his baby sister’s “Nipplegate.” In the midst of endless questions surrounding his death, relentless child molestation accusations, and the tawdry caravan of family dysfunction– and suspicions that greedy relatives and associates want to milk his memory for all it may be worth (these are’ after all, The Jacksons’ we’re talking about), at least a few people think Jackson ought to be allowed to rest in peace. These folks may have a point: In its first week, MJ’s album Xscape debuted to a rather risible #2 spot on the charts (did anyone ever think they’d see the day Michael Jackson would be bested by The Black Keys?), and half of Damita Jo‘s first week sales. Factor in the bizarre and sometimes tasteless spectacle of promoting artists post-mortem, and it’s fair to say Xscape arrives at the gate weighed with rather heavy baggage.
Naysaying and debates about the propriety of posthumous albums aside, the critical reception over Xscape has been nothing short of rapturous– and deservedly so. Vibe.com dubbed it “eternal greatness,” which may in fact be an understatement, given its subtle yet unmistakable artistic triumphs. Although some of Xscape‘s songs were recorded more than a decade hence– while others were likely sound-engineered to within an inch of their life–it’s striking that the quality of Jackson’s voice does not appear degraded by time, or by years of prescription drug abuse. Jackson’s signature high-pitched falsetto -– and his syncopated beat-boxing-– have survived the test of time. The same could not be said about the late Whitney Houston, whose world-spanning vocal abilities had sadly deserted her long before her 2012 death.
Xscape‘s near perfection transports you to another era, one in which Jackson rules as the undisputed monarch of pop and soul. Tarred though his legacy might be by his ignominious demise, and the repulsive, scandal sheet headlines which characterized what turned out to be his twilight years, Xscape practically entrances the listener. It seduces you into forgetting the miasma of controversies, accusations, bizarre behavior, and unsavory messiness that followed the King of Pop in the last 20 years of his life.
Xscape is a collision of styles and sounds that never becomes a cacophony. This is a success all its own, given the pallid attempt that the forgettable 2002 Invincible album made at hauling Jackson into the 21st century. Perhaps that was why Justin Timberlake was the only marquee name who makes an appearance on Xscape, joining Jackson on “Love Never Felt So Good.” Xscape feels contemporary without the baggage of slickness or overproduction. Credit goes to producers L.A. Reid and Timbaland in that regard, who raised a man — or at least his voice — from beyond the grave without turning him into the musical equivalent of Weekend at Bernie’s. One of their best decisions was to feature both the original recordings and the re-engineered versions of each song on Xscape, which vouches for the quality and authenticity of each cut. Xscape could almost be re-titled Back to the Future, given how the album functions like a time machine. Most of the songs carry a nostalgic feel that gives the listener a reminder of who Jackson once was, and what perhaps could have been.
“Love Never Felt So Good,” the lead single that earned Jackson his highest chart placement in more than a decade, is best appreciated as one of those fizzy, made-for-airplay singles that is freighted with Jackson’s most ethereal quality: the ability to weave in and out of the netherworld separating pop from soul. One of the best songs on Xscape is “Chicago,” an emotionally tortured ballad with echoes of Jackson’s classic “Dirty Diana,” in which he croons about being deceived by a scheming paramour. Standing head and shoulders above all the album’s tracks is “A Place with No Name”–an ingenious mind-meld between Michael’s nearly 30-year old hit “Leave Me Alone” and the 1971 rock classic “A Horse with No Name.” Timbaland’s signature stop-start electronica beats are all over this one. The best part of the song, however, is Jackson’s lyrics that hit all the familiar notes about alienation, world-weariness, and women shrouded in mystery.
Given Jackson’s unfortunate history with children, the haunting tune “Do You Know Where Your Children Are” come off as unintentionally awkward (wherever your child is, you certainly hope it’s not anywhere near Neverland ranch, or it’s proprietor). In some ways, Xscape is an exercise in emotional conflict. You marvel at the talents of the artist, but can’t help but be reminded of his stark flaws.
Thankfully, the entirety of the album is held aloft by its surprisingly top-shelf material. It should be said outright that Xscape is close to musical perfection, and certainly better than even your writer believed it would be when it’s release first became public months ago. As bizarre as it may seem to some that Michael Jackson is still releasing albums — and making award show appearances –– half a decade after death, Xscape holds its own alongside Thriller, Bad, and Dangerous as a Michael Jackson classic.
Cop these singles:
“Chicago”
“A Place with No Name”
“Slave to the Rhythm”
“Xscape”
“Loving You”
Rating: 4/5