Songs reviews : Michael Jackson and family tribute: Being a child of the ’80s and ’90s meant that Magic Johnson, Eddie Murphy, and Michael Jordan were your heroes. (Maybe you liked Larry Bird or something, but I assume if that’s the case, you’ve long stopped reading this review.) And in his videos, Michael Jackson managed to best them all, making him the undisputed King. For most of my pre-adolescence, he was a pure sorcerer, a demigod immune to the gravitational pull and perimeters that stifle the rest of us. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the greatest music video ever made, a New Jack Swing hybrid of Cleopatra and Indiana Jones. There are swirling hourglasses, busts of Pharaohs, hand drums, wriggling snakes, and Michael Jackson as a gilded wizard with dance moves so smooth that he can even elude the future Deebo. He’s so cool that steals the Pharaoh’s wife (who also happens to be David Bowie’s future wife) and then disappears into a cloud of gold dust, just as his capture seems imminent.
On the whole, Michael feels rather dull. Vocally, he’s on target the majority of the time, with the exception of the still manufactured-sounding, “Breaking News”, but musically it’s far from impressive. So many of the beats sound so derivative that it lacks any evolution, which is what Jackson was always about. Look at the transition between Off the Wall and Thriller, or better yet, Bad to Dangerous. He went from disco to ’80s synth, from hair metal aesthetics to New jack swing. What’s more, he always surrounded himself with the most top notch, key players in any industry. Do you think it was by chance that Jackson hired the likes of Macaulay Culkin or Michael Jordan for his videos? Remember, it was the early ’90s, those guys were just as much royalty as he was. The same went for Slash, or Eddie Van Halen, or Martin Scorcese, or Teddy Riley. That’s what’s missing on Michael.
Invincible (2001): Admittedly I’ve come around on Invincible in recent years. Back in 2001 it felt like a massive disappointment because, well, it’s a Michael Jackson record, and we expect nothing less than perfection. While flawed, Invincible has plenty of standout moments, showing that Michael was once again able to adapt to a changing musical landscape. And I’m still pissed we didn’t get an official video for “Butterflies.” Forgotten Favorites: “Break of Dawn,” “Heaven Can Wait,” “Privacy”.
Michael Jackson family: Mocienne Petit Jackson’s (Michael Jackson’s daughter) books are now available in french! For our french guests: La deuxieme partie de l’autobiographie en trois parties de Mocienne Petit Jackson commence par une description detaillee de l’enlevement de Mocienne et de sa vie aux Pays-Bas (Michael Jackson Family Books in French). Par la suite, le recit nous devoile comment se deroule sa vie avec sa famille adoptive, chez qui elle reste en compagnie de la cousine Delivrance. Petit a petit, elle decouvre que son vrai pere est Michael Jackson. A l’age de 15 ans, elle quitte sa famille adoptive et vit dans un internat pendant 4 ans, avant de s’installer vivre toute seule. Nous la suivons tout au long de son adolescence et de son entree dans la maturite, ce qui n’a pas toujours ete facile. Mocienne rencontre un homme avec lequel elle a un enfant. Cependant, cet engagement ne dure pas. Nous en apprenons davantage sur les problemes qu’elle rencontre avec les Services de Protection de l’Enfance, suivis de nombreuses affaires judiciaires. Au debut, celles-ci portaient sur sa propre personne, plus tard, elles se transforment en bataille pour la garde de son fils. Une situation inacceptable prend le relais d’une autre situation inacceptable. Nous sommes egalement mis au courant de nombreux evenements traumatisants vecus par le personnage principal, de ses depressions et de ses nombreuses luttes pour faire face a la misere impregnee dans sa vie et a son combat pour s’en debarrasser. L’auteur explique clairement ces luttes a travers de vifs flashbacks.