Michael

Ok, first of all, I understand many Michael Jackson fans are going to disagree with me here.
But I wouldn't fully trust the 'Michael' album. It was released by Sony BMG as a quick scheme to bank more bucks by flogging Michael Jackson's death yet again to the world.
Michael did not give these songs his blessing. He canned them after recorded them, which suggests he wasn't fully happy with them featuring on any album. He didn't want his fans to hear these songs so in my opinion they shouldn't be released.
It's unfair on him, as he's unfortunately no longer with us to have a say on this project!
If you're a collector, or even just a fan, I suggest buying the album used or second-hand, so Sony aren't pocketing your money.
Buying this album is not going to benefit Michael Jackson in any way, and it certainly isn't going to bring him back to life.

I had mixed expectations from this CD. Part of me was excited, I mean, I loved MJ and was devastated when he died. I wasn't expecting it, and when it had been announced he'd recorded enough music for about 10 new CD's, you never quite know if it's going to be any good or not.

Some of the pre reviews I'd read were seriously mixed. I'm always a little nervous of professional reviews, you are not sure if they'd written it before listening to it.

Some of the tracks are quite literally, in my humble opinion, stunning. I love Hold My Hand (from which the above line is from), a duet with Akon. (as a side note, check the video of this online, it's very good!). Monster, the duet with 50 Cent, you'd not expect this to work at all, yet amazingly it does. I Like The Way You Love Me and I Can't Make It Another Day both show glimpses of the Michael you will remember and love.

Some people say this CD is not as good as his previous releases, they claim he's not here to check it to see if it meets his standards. They think it's a way of making money off his memory.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I am not here to preach the right and wrong of this release. But, it's important to note, this is NOT a bad CD, there are some really good tracks, and it will excite and please any massive Michael fans out there.

It might not stand as a classic in 40 years time, but there is enough here to make a MJ fan very, very happy. I miss him being around, and this collection of 10 recordings brings him just that little bit back to life!

hold my hand with akon is an amazing song glad they have put it on this album will definatly be buying.love mj

I have to agree this is disrespectful as Jackson would never have wanted these tracks released, and the of cause is this really him anyway.Many fans will just not have a bad word said against Jackson, and if that is the case then you should agree with his children and friends that this should remain un heard.The authenticity of "Breaking News" has been questioned. Doubts over whether the vocals were actually by Jackson have been raised, reportedly by Katherine Jackson and Jackson's two eldest children as well as Jackson's sister La Toya his nephews T.J., Taj, and Taryll, and many of his fans. His brother Randy Jackson posted a series of messages about the album on his Twitter account stating that family members weren't allowed at his studio where the album was being completed. According to Randy, when engineer Teddy Riley played him some of the tracks, "I immediately said it wasn't his voice". In a statement, Sony Music Group countered that it had "complete confidence in the results of our extensive research, as well as the accounts of those who were in the studio with Michael, that the vocals on the new album are his own. Teddy Riley, Frank Dileo and Jackson's estate have since defended Sony's claims that the song is authentic. Producer Teddy Riley who worked on the songs "Hollywood Tonight," "Monster" and "Breaking News", told Reuters the he had to do "more processing to the voice, which is why people were asking about the authenticity of his voice." Said Riley, "With the Melodyne we actually move the stuff up which is the reason why some of the vibrato sounds a little off or processed, over-processed. We truly apologize for that happening, but you are still hearing the true Michael Jackson."
Ahead of the album's release, a lawyer for Jackson's father Joe said Jackson "would never have wanted his unfinished material to be released." Will.i.am, who collaborated with Jackson for the album prior to his death, also criticised the release, saying it was "disrespectful" to release the unfinished material because Jackson was not able to give it his blessing.

If you like Michael Jackson - particularly the older stuff then you'll like this. It's more Thriller than Invincible. Every track has popular appeal. I've heard the album and it is the perfect gift for yourself or anyone who likes his music. It will even win over a fair amount of new fans