Tag: Quincy Jones

audio review : Bad ( album ) … Michael Jackson

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

Making an album that stands up to Thriller is a daunting task for any artist, but Michael Jackson, dressed in a black leather jacket with silver highlights, feels he’s up to the challenge. He even wraps tape around his fingers like the boxers do as the guy who once described himself as a romantic “lover”, “not a fighter”, stands face-to-face with the leader of a notorious street gang with no plans to Beat It.

“I’m bad,” he declares on the funky title song before daring any man to slap him in the face if they don’t like what he’s saying. It’s a ballsy invitation, especially coming from a guy in eyeliner whose only source of weaponry consists of melodic tough talk and flashy dance moves. Luckily for him, the act is over before you can dent your eyebrows and muster-up an answer to the question, “Who’s bad?”

From there, the album goes into more familiar territory as his attention goes back to the girls and The Way they Make him Feel. He’s especially head over heels for a Liberian Girl, who, as far as he’s concerned, is “more precious than any pearl”. He Just Can’t Stop Loving Siedah Garrett, but he’s not so fond of an obsessive groupie named Diana. Her relentless seduction inspires the album’s Dirty rock song.

The dirty dance song is Smooth Criminal, about a guy who murders a girl in her apartment. It’s also the best song as Michael Jackson, playing the role of the narrator, crashes the fourth wall to ask if she’s okay. The whole album is Bad meaning good, but it isn’t a Thriller. The drums are too clanky, the synthesizers too unnatural. Not to mention a Speed Demon that should’ve never made it pass the finish line.

my rating : 4 of 5

1987

audio review : Thriller ( album ) … Michael Jackson

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

The title song would be perfect at the end. Instead it lingers near the middle. When the album does end, it does so with a serenade to a girl Michael Jackson promises to love more and “more each day”, even when she’s “old and gray”. Rod Temperton is to blame for those lyrics, but, as far as music and melody goes, The Lady In My Life is gorgeous. It’s one of his best songs like almost every other song on this album.

Not only is Thriller his best album, including the ones he did with his brothers, it’s the best album I ever heard. Almost every song reaches a level of greatness other artists can only hope to obtain once on a single release. Even the worst song, a duet that has Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney playing tug-of-war over a girl who might be playing them in a game of her own, floats along with a charming groove.

The next worst song is Human Nature, which is good. That says a lot about the rest of the album, which consists of just nine songs. Perhaps making a Thriller isn’t as daunting as it seems. The secret is to cut the filler and put out an album of funky beats and magical vocals. “No one wants to be defeated,” Michael Jackson declares on rock song Beat It. It’s harmonized melody is one of the catchiest you’ll ever hear.

Other highlights include Billie Jean and a party jam about people who always Wanna Be Startin Somethin. Both songs are amazing. There’s also a Valentine’s Day theme entitled Baby Be Mine that’s amazing. The album as a whole is amazing. It’s just not perfect. It would’ve come close if Michael Jackson or Quincy Jones, the album’s sole producer, thought enough to put the title song at the end where it belongs.

my rating : 5 of 5

1982

audio review : Off The Wall ( album ) … Michael Jackson

audio review : Off The Wall ( album ) ... Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson steps into his own spotlight with the help of Quincy Jones from the Wiz album. It’s not his solo debut, but it may as well be. The pop star is allowed artistic control of his music for the first time in his career. From the start, it’s clear the album’s main job is to get people onto the dance floor. Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough, it goes, or at least until you Burn This Disco Out. It’s an all-night groovefest with funky instruments and suave falsettos.

Most of the songs deal in romantic love. Stevie Wonder provides a slinky jazz ballad about how some people Can’t Help but love other people in that way. It’s a bit of an anticlimax because the clunky chorus can’t compare to the vibe of the verses. It’s better than Paul McCartney’s submission though; a silly song entitled Girlfriend that has Michael Jackson threatening to tell her boyfriend what they’ve been doing if she doesn’t come clean on her own.

The best song is, ironically enough, the one you can’t really dance to. It’s a ballad entitled She’s Out Of My Life, about a girl who might’ve hung around after two years if only Michael Jackson had expressed to her how much he loved her. It’s a good thing there are so many other girls in the club, which seems to never stop playing Michael Jackson songs. Heartbroken or not, all the guy has to do is walk up to the next one and pull her off the wall to make her his.

my rating : 4 of 5

1979