audio review : Don’t Walk Away ( song ) … Michael Jackson

“Don’t you go nowhere,” Michael Jackson once sang to who he promised would “always be” The Lady In My Life. Of course promises aren’t always kept, so now we have a breakup ballad. “Tell me what I have to do so you stay,” he pleads, “Should I get down on my knees and pray?”

The lyrics are trite and the concept is corny. I can understand not wanting a relationship to end, but begging her not to leave you is way over the line. It’s the sweet vocal melodies that save the song, especially near the end when the backgrounds and kick drum come into play.

my rating : 4 of 5

2001

audio review : Invincible ( album ) ... Michael Jackson

audio review : History ( song ) … Michael Jackson

This is Michael Jackson at his most grandiose, appropriately enough considering it’s the title song to the most grandiose album in History. The concept, which pays homage to innovators and icons like Thomas Edison and Muhammad Ali, is both an anthem “for mankind” and a time capsule of sorts. Among all the samples and bits, of course, there’s a song and it’s another good one, which only adds to the legacy of Jackson himself.

my rating : 4 of 5

1995

audio review : History ( album ) ... Michael Jackson

audio review : Heartbreak Hotel ( song ) … Michael Jackson

Fans expecting a cover of the Elvis Presley song; the only other popular song with the title; are in for a pleasant surprise. Before you can grab the doorknob; it’s actually one of those fancy handles; you’re greeted by a bellboy who offers to carry your luggage.

Michael Jackson’s Heartbreak Hotel is indeed more extravagant and much better than Presley’s, though it’s more like a prison. “Every smile’s trial thought in beguile to hurt me,” the singer laments, “The man next door… he’s been here in tears for fifteen years.”

my rating : 5 of 5

1980