Jump to content

Xscape (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 92.12.148.172 (talk) at 07:30, 20 May 2014 (→‎Promotion and singles). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Untitled

Xscape is the second posthumous compilation album[5] of previously unreleased tracks by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on May 9, 2014 by Epic Records and MJJ Music. It is the eleventh album released by Sony and Motown since Jackson's death in June 2009. L.A. Reid, chairman of Epic Records, curated and executively produced the album enlisting Timbaland to lead a team of record producers, including StarGate, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, John McClain, and Rodney Jerkins, to retool and contemporize the eight selected tracks. Jerkins produced the title song and is the only original song producer to work on the final productions.

Xscape was promoted across the Sony group of companies; Sony Mobile used a snippet of "Slave to the Rhythm" in their advertising campaign for the Xperia Z2 mobile phone. Early reviews have been mixed to positive. "Love Never Felt So Good" was announced as the official lead single to premiere on May 1, 2014. A deluxe edition of the album will also include all of the songs in their original forms as well as one bonus track and two videos.

Background

Officially announced on March 31, 2014, Xscape features 8 tracks.[6][7] It is the second such album of posthumous material to be released by Epic Records since Jackson's death in 2009.[8] The title track "Xscape" was recorded in 2001 for Jackson's Invincible.[9] American producer Timbaland and Epic Records chairman L.A. Reid executively produced the album, with addition production from Rodney Jerkins, StarGate and John McClain.[10] Timbaland said that Reid had personally approached the producer at his home to discuss the new Jackson project.[11] Jesse Johnson, former lead guitarist of the American band The Time revealed that he had worked on elements of one song that featured Mary J. Blige, Questlove, and D'Angelo.[12] However, the track failed to be included in the final track listing of the album. Reid said that they wanted to honor Jackson's legacy when naming the album, "the title of this album (Xscape) honors Michael's album naming process. He always chose a song from the album to name his projects and, beginning with Thriller, used only one word titles, each with an edgy quality to them (Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, Invincible and Michael). This is true of the new project."[13]

Recording history

The track "Love Never Felt So Good" was co-written by Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka,[14] and originally recorded in 1983 as a demo with Anka at the piano. The song was also recorded by American entertainer Johnny Mathis.[15] The track "Chicago" (working title "She Was Loving Me") was recorded in 1999, but failed to make the Invincible album. The track "Loving You" was recorded in 1987 during the sessions for Bad. The track "A Place with No Name" was written and recorded in 1998. The track resembles "A Horse with No Name", a hit song by rock band America. A 24-second snippet leaked online in July 2009 by TMZ, and a full version was leaked in December 2013.[16] "Slave to the Rhythm" was recorded during sessions for Bad, and then revived for "Dangerous" sessions, and completed in 1998. A recording leaked to the internet in 2010. Justin Bieber recorded a duet version featuring Jackson which was leaked in August 2013. The Michael Jackson Estate had not authorized release of this recording,[17] and has since made attempts to remove the song from as many sites and YouTube channels as possible.

Promotion and singles

In February 2014, Sony and Jackson's estate announced a partnership with Sony Mobile that saw the release of an ad incorporating a new version of the track "Slave to the Rhythm", which has been confirmed as one of the album tracks.[18] The commercial advertisement was for Sony Mobile's Xperia Z2 mobile phone.[19] The album had been aired to the UK media in the basement of a Knightsbridge hotel on March 31, 2014. The journalists were permitted to hear the album once without any electronic devices, and song titles were kept secret.[20] The entertainment correspondents for some UK media, such as Sky News,[21] London Evening Standard,[20] The Daily Telegraph,[22] Mixmag,[23] The Guardian[24] and Digital Spy[25] were invited.

On April 30, it was revealed that "Love Never Felt So Good" would be unveiled at the iHeart Radio Music Awards on May 1 as the album's first single, putting statements by Timbaland that suggested that "Chicago" would be released first to rest.[11] It was co-written by Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka,[14] and features Justin Timberlake.[26] "Love Never Felt So Good" was previously recorded by American entertainer Johnny Mathis.[15] The digital download for the single became available on iTunes at 0:01 EDT on May 2, 2014 for the album version and the duet version with Justin Timberlake.[27] The release date of the single to urban radio stations confirmed as May 6, 2014.[28] On May 4, the track "Chicago" became available to Music Unlimited subscribers, being followed by "Loving You", "A Place with No Name", "Slave to the Rhythm", and "Do You Know Where Your Children Are" in the succeeding days.[29]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic65/100[30]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[31]
Consequence of SoundC[32]
The Guardian[33]
Los Angeles Times[34]
Rolling Stone[35]
Slant Magazine [36]
The Sydney Morning Herald[37]
The Independent[38]
Billboard90/100 [39]
Entertainment WeeklyB[40]

Xscape has a score of 65 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 19 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews.[30] Prior to the album release, Xscape was played for critics at exclusive album listening parties in New York City.[41] Bernadette McNulty from The Daily Telegraph praised the album as "pristine", noting the "front-and-center presence of Jackson's voice in the mix".[22] Michael Cragg from The Guardian said Xscape feels "like an album created to showcase a handful of Jackson songs that on the whole deserve to be heard".[24] Richard Suchet from Sky News thought the album "sound more like modern-day remixes".[21] Nick Stevenson from Mixmag believed the album "more like a collection of B-sides from Off the Wall than a follow-up to Invincible".[23] Michael Arceneaux from Ebony said "the upcoming project 'from' the late singer sounds like a recipe for legacy tarnishing".[42] Elysa Gardner of USA Today said that the producers on the album "ensure that Jackson's enduring strengths as a singer are represented, layering in modern electronic textures without overwhelming the distinctly slinky, shivery vocals or overall structure of the tunes."[43] Other critics suggested the product was just a way to promote Sony smartphones,[44] and had questions around the songwriting and production,[45] or with the singing.[46][47] Self confessed Jackson-fan Nekesa Mumbi Moody, writing for Yahoo, said that much of the album had a dated feel, with "A Place With No Name" having poor lyrics and sound.[48] She concluded that "putting out music that falls below Jackson's standards detracts from the carefully constructed catalog he spent decades creating and protecting."

Track listing

Xscape – Standard version (catalog number 88843053662)[49]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Love Never Felt So Good" (featuring Justin Timberlake)
3:54
2."Chicago"Cory Rooney
4:05
3."Loving You"Jackson
  • Timbaland
  • Harmon[a]
  • Jackson[b]
3:15
4."A Place with No Name"
5:35
5."Slave to the Rhythm"
4:15
6."Do You Know Where Your Children Are"Jackson
  • Timbaland
  • Harmon[a]
  • Jackson[b]
4:36
7."Blue Gangsta"
  • Jackson
  • Dr. Freeze
  • King Solomon Logan
  • Daniel Jones
  • Timbaland
  • Harmon[a]
  • Jackson[b]
  • Dr. Freeze[b]
4:14
8."Xscape"
  • Darkchild
  • Jackson[b]
4:04
Total length:34:25
Xscape – Sony Xperia Lounge bonus track
No.TitleLength
9."Chicago (Papercha$er Remix)[50]" 
Xscape – Deluxe Edition bonus tracks (catalog number 88843066762)[51]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
9."Love Never Felt So Good" (original version)
  • Jackson
  • Anka
  • Jackson
  • Anka
3:19
10."Chicago" (original version)Rooney
  • Jackson
  • Rooney
4:43
11."Loving You" (original version)JacksonJackson3:02
12."A Place with No Name" (original version)
  • Jackson
  • Bunnell
  • Dr. Freeze
  • Jackson
  • Dr. Freeze
4:55
13."Slave to the Rhythm" (original version)
  • Reid
  • Babyface
  • Simmons
  • Roberson
  • Reid
  • Babyface
4:35
14."Do You Know Where Your Children Are" (original version)JacksonJackson4:39
15."Blue Gangsta" (original version)
  • Jackson
  • Dr. Freeze
  • Jackson
  • Dr. Freeze
4:16
16."Xscape" (original version)
  • Jackson
  • R. Jerkins
  • F. Jerkins III
  • Daniels
  • Jackson
  • Darkchild
5:44
17."Love Never Felt So Good" (featuring Justin Timberlake)
  • Jackson
  • Anka
4:05
Total length:73:43
Xscape – Deluxe Edition bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Xscape Documentary"23:21
2."Xscape Documentary Outtakes"2:40
Total length:25:57
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies a vocal producer

Chart performance

Chart (2014)
  • Peak
  • position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[52] 3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[53] 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[54] 1
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[55] 10
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[56] 1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[57] 2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[58] 2
Irish Albums (IRMA)[59] 4
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[60] 1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[61] 5
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[61] 3
Scottish Albums (OCC)[62] 3
UK Albums (OCC)[63] 1

Release history

Region Date Label Format
Austria May 9, 2014 Sony Music CD, Digital download
Denmark
Germany[64]
Spain[65]
France[66] May 12, 2014
United Kingdom[67] Epic Records
Italy[68] May 13, 2014 Sony Music
Canada[69]
United States[70] Epic Records, MJJ
Mexico[71] May 21, 2014 Sony Music
Japan[72] Sony Music Japan CD
India[73] May 12, 2014 Sony Music
United States[74] June 10, 2014 Epic Records, MJJ LP

See also

References

  1. ^ Elysa, Gardner (April 21, 2014). "First listen: Michael Jackson's posthumous 'Xscape'". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  2. ^ "Michael Jackson's "Love Never Felt So Good" First Single From XSCAPE Premieres Tonight at the iHeart Radio Music Awards". May 1, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Check |first= value (help) [dead link]
  3. ^ http://flavorwire.com/457586/michael-jacksons-xscape-turn-down-for-what-death
  4. ^ http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/michael-jacksons-xscape-doesnt-belong-to-him-it-belongs-to-us/
  5. ^ Opam, Kwame (March 31, 2014). "New Michael Jackson album 'XSCAPE' will be released May 13th". The Verge. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  6. ^ "XSCAPE: NEW ALBUM COMING MAY 13TH". michaeljackson.com. March 31, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  7. ^ "New Michael Jackson album to be released in May". BBC News. 2014.
  8. ^ Chi, Chi. "Newsbeat – Michael Jackson new album Xscape: first listen". BBC. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  9. ^ Farrar, Leah (October 18, 2011). "Michael Jackson new album Xscape release rumours". Glamour magazine. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  10. ^ Melissa Locker (March 31, 2014). "It's a Thriller: New Michael Jackson Songs Coming in May on Posthumous LP Xscape". time.com. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  11. ^ a b Guardian music. "New Michael Jackson music to be produced by Timbaland". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  12. ^ Wass, Mike (April 2, 2014). "Michael Jackson's 'Xscape' LP Will Contain A Song About Child Abuse & High-Profile Collabs". Idolator. Spin Media. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  13. ^ "XSCAPE-Long Awaited New Music From Michael Jackson – NEW YORK, March 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/". Prnewswire.com. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  14. ^ a b Corner, Lewis (April 30, 2014). "Michael Jackson's New Single 'Love Never Felt So Good' Gets Premiere Date". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  15. ^ a b "Michael Jackson 'New' Single Written with Paul Anka Is Actually 31 Years Old". Showbiz411.com. May 1, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  16. ^ Netter, Sarah (July 17, 2009). "Michael Jackson's Unreleased Songs, Continuing the Music Legacy". ABC News/Yahoo! News. ABC News Internet Ventures, Yahoo!—ABC News Network. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  17. ^ "Justin Bieber, Michael Jackson Duet: Estate Releases Statement". The Inquisitr. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  18. ^ "New Michael Jackson Album 'Xscape' to Be Released in May". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. March 31, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  19. ^ "THE ESTATE OF MICHAEL JACKSON ENTERS PARTNERSHIP WITH SONY MOBILE". Sony Entertainment. michaeljackson.com.
  20. ^ a b Smyth, David (April 1, 2014). "Michael Jackson's 'new' album Xscape gets its first hearing". London Evening Standard. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  21. ^ a b "Michael Jackson Xscape Album Due Out In May". Sky News. Yahoo! UK & Ireland. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  22. ^ a b McNulty, Bernadette (March 31, 2014). "Michael Jackson new album Xscape: first listen". The Daily Telegraph. London, England: Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  23. ^ a b Stevenson, Nick (April 1, 2014). "Is the New Michael Jackson Album Any Good?". Mixmag. London, England: Development Hell. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  24. ^ a b Cragg, Michael (April 1, 2014). "First listen: Michael Jackson's Xscape". The Guardian. London, England: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
  25. ^ Corner, Lewis (April 1, 2014). "Michael Jackson's new album Xscape: How good is it?". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  26. ^ "Justin Timberlake Joins Michael Jackson on New Single 'Love Never Felt So Good'". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  27. ^ "Michael Jackson's "Love Never Felt So Good" First Single From XSCAPE Premieres Tonight at the iHeart Radio Music Awards". Epic Records. PR Newswire. May 1, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  28. ^ "Urban/UAC Future Releases – R&B, Hip Hop, Release Schedule and Street Dates". All Access. May 2, 2014. Archived from the original on May 1, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  29. ^ "Chicago on Music Unlimited". Sony. Sony. May 4, 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  30. ^ a b "Xscape – Michael Jackson". Metacritic. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  31. ^ Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Xscape – Michael Jackson". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  32. ^ Bosman, Chris (May 13, 2014). Consequence of Sound http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/05/album-review-michael-jackson-xscape/. Retrieved May 16, 2014. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  33. ^ Tim Jonze (May 9, 2014). "Michael Jackson: Xscape – a fitting bookend to the man's career". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  34. ^ "Michael Jackson's 'Xscape' feels shockingly vital". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  35. ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (April 19, 2014). "Michael Jackson 'Xscape' Album Review". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  36. ^ Sweeney, Joe (May 10, 2014). "Michael Jackson: Xscape". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  37. ^ "Review: Michael Jackson's 'Xscape' is an album that should not have come out". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. May 8, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  38. ^ "Album reviews: Black Keys, Foxes, Michael Jackson, Santana". The Independent. Amol Rajan. March 19, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  39. ^ Levy, Joe (May 13, 2014). "Michael Jackson's 'Xscape': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  40. ^ Markovitz, Adam (May 13, 2014). "Xscape". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  41. ^ Kenner, Rob (April 9, 2014). "News Flash: The New Michael Jackson Album "Xscape" Does Not Suck". Complex. Complex Media. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  42. ^ Arceneaux, Michael (April 1, 2014). "Leave Michael Jackson Alone". Ebony. Chicago, USA: Johnson Publishing Company. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
  43. ^ Gardner, Elysa (April 21, 2014). "First listen: Michael Jackson's posthumous 'Xscape'". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  44. ^ http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/13/michael-jackson-s-posthumous-album-xscape-is-a-confused-shameless-money-grab.html
  45. ^ http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/michael-jacksons-xscape-album-why-it-adds-nothing-to-a-legends-legacy
  46. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/26831137
  47. ^ Montgomery, James (May 13, 2014). "Black Keys' Patrick Carney: Michael Jackson's 'Xscape' Is 'Bulls---'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 15, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  48. ^ https://movies.yahoo.com/news/review-xscape-mixed-bag-jackson-fans-170315725.html
  49. ^ "Buy Xscape Michael Jackson, Pop, CD". Sanity. April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  50. ^ http://blogs.sonymobile.com/2014/05/13/michael-jacksons-xscape-available-now-for-select-sony-customers-through-xperia-lounge-and-music-unlimited/
  51. ^ "XSCAPE Deluxe Edition Tracklist & Contents Announced!". MichaelJackson.com. May 1, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  52. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Michael Jackson – Xscape". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  53. ^ "Ultratop.be – Michael Jackson – Xscape" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  54. ^ "Ultratop.be – Michael Jackson – Xscape" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  55. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  56. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Michael Jackson – Xscape". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  57. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  58. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Michael Jackson – Xscape" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  59. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 20, 2014". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  60. ^ "Mexicancharts.com – Michael Jackson – Xscape". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  61. ^ a b "Charts.nz – Michael Jackson – Xscape". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2014. Cite error: The named reference "nz" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  62. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  63. ^ "Michael Jackson | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  64. ^ "Xscape [Doppel-CD]". Amazon.com. Amazon.de. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  65. ^ "Xscape". Amazon.com. Amazon.es. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  66. ^ "Xscape – Edition Deluxe (CD+DVD)". Amazon.com. Amazon.fr. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  67. ^ "Xscape [Deluxe Edition]". Amazon.com. Amazon.co.uk. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  68. ^ "Xscape [Deluxe Edition]". Amazon.com. Amazon.it. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  69. ^ "XSCAPE (Deluxe Edition) [CD + DVD] [Deluxe Edition, CD+DVD]". Amazon.com. amazon.ca. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  70. ^ "XSCAPE (Deluxe Edition CD\DVD)". Amazon.com. Amazon.com. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  71. ^ "XSCAPE (CD + DVD + BNS TRKS) (DLX)". mixup.com. Mixup. April 27, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  72. ^ "エスケイプ デラックス・エディション(完全生産限定盤)(DVD付) [CD+DVD, Limited Edition]". Amazon.com. Amazon.co.jp. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  73. ^ "Xscape [Audio CD]". Amazon.com. Amazon.it. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  74. ^ "XSCAPE". Amazon.com. Amazon.com. April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Xscape_(album)&oldid=609350948"