Only 3 weeks to get a category added - amazing!! Finally a new op! Thought I was gone....didn'tcha? ...
Only 3 weeks to get a category added - amazing!! Finally a new op! Thought I was gone....didn'tcha? Yer not that lucky!!
Member since:26.04.2001
Reviews:18
Members who trust:6
6 years, 4 months and 13 days I waited. Waited for what you may ask??? For this album to be released of course!! That was the length of time between 1995’s “HIStory – Past, Present & Future, Book 1” and this, 2001’s “Invincible”. My God! I spend my entire teenaged life waiting for a shiny plastic disc! Madness!! OK, I did a whole lot of other things in this time – eating, breathing and sleeping come to mind – but I still waited.
I give over large quantities of whatever cash I can get my hands on to the shiny happy people in HMV so that I can fill up every void in my bedroom with these shiny plastic discs. And it is all down to Michael Jackson. His music has touched me like no other. From the exultant pop tunes; to the one’s where he cries at the end and the perfectly simplistic numbers; to the multi-laired innovative songs, I love them all. His music caused me to look at music in a completely different way. No longer do I just sing and dance along or whatever. I now listen more to the production, backing vocals and all the rest of it. That’s why the release of “Invincible” was such a big deal.
I conveniently had the day off college on the 29th of October 2001 (seriously, it was a bank holiday) and made my way to HMV. There it was – in its 5 glorious
different covers. After thinking about it for about 3 seconds, I grabbed the red one and ran up to the counter. Why, oh why were the busses so slow that day?? It always happens to me!! Don’t worry - I can sense that you are at this point - I got home eventually.
And was it worth the wait?? Is the best album in 6 years, 4 months and 13 days?? Hmmm...Not entirely sure about that one.
Invincible contains some really innovative, totally modern tracks with superb production. “Unbreakable” has an incredibly catchy beat, great melody and a rap by the late Notorious B.I.G.
“Heartbreaker” is very fast, futuristic, has a great chorus and will definitely surprise you when you hear it.
“2000 Watts” is probably the least “Michael Jackson” song you will ever hear. Yes, dear reader, his voice has finally broken. You know, when you are listening to a song and find your head bopping and your toes tapping without you knowing?? You will find that happening for all of the last three tracks.
Another modern RnB track is the first single “You Rock My World” which has production like Toni Braxton’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough For Me” and a great catchy chorus.
The downside to the Michael’s latest affair with RnB is the title track “Invincible”. If the song were under three minutes long instead of almost five, it would be so much better. Instead it goes on and on and on and on.
This album contains a large number of mid-tempo RnB tracks. “Break of Dawn” has a very catchy melody, and a chorus sung by the producer Dr. Freeze, with Michael providing the ad libs.
“Heaven Can Wait” is one where you really get to hear the power of Michael’s voice at its very best. It is one that I just can’t stop listening to – totally infectious.
“Butterflies” is the new single at the other side of the pond (that’s, the USA, for y’all stateside). Another fabulous melody. Michael sings this song, in large part, in a falsetto voice, but nothing like his 70s hit “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough.
“Whatever Happens” is another track you would not expect from Michael. It features Carlos Santana on guitar. If this is not released as a single, I will shoot myself. OK maybe not, but it is very radio friendly. This is probably the only rock tinged track on the album.
Michael likes to put a few strange tracks on his albums that are catchy, but you couldn’t exactly imagine on Top Of The Pops. This album is no exception. I was very disappointed to hear the lyrics of “Privacy”. It is everything that was bad about HIStory. Its lyrics are another attack on the tabloids and the media. The song does have good points though – the melody of the chorus is very catchy and Michael sings in this great “gritty” voice.
Michael also likes to include songs with a horror theme. This time we are treated to “Threatened”. It has a great melody and great production. It is in the vein of “Is This Scary” and “Ghosts” from the “Blood on The Dancefloor” remix album project.
The final song in the strange category is “The Lost Children”. Think Barney goes to church. Only worse.
Next up are the ballads. To begin with, “Cry” the second single that absolutely BOMBED. This song is a mixture between Michael’s “You Are Not Alone” and R Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” with a touch of “Earth Song” added for good measure. A nice song, but a bad choice for a single.
“Don’t Walk Away” is a song that I didn’t really like initially but it has grown on me over the months. It is slow, slushy and romantic. It doesn’t really go anywhere, but is nice all the same.
“Speechless” is a gem. It starts off with Michael singing A Cappella, then gradually builds up and ends A Cappella. The lyrics are excellent, as is the melody. The only fault I have with this is that Michael cries at the end. Please spare us.
“You Are My Life” is another romantic number. It has great lyrics, great backing vocals (by Babyface) and simple production. The tune isn’t all that interesting, but it gets better as it goes along.
One thing I really like about Michael is that his songs are timeless. Unfortunately, I don’t think “Invincible” has the timelessness factor that many of his other albums have. Songs like “Heaven Can Wait” and “Heartbreaker” are very NOW, but whether or not they are very ten years time is a totally different question.
Despite that, it is an album that I would definitely recommend you check out. Unfortunately, the single choices so far are not the best album tracks. Hopefully “Whatever Happens”, “Break of Dawn” and “Unbreakable” will be the other singles released.
Album opinions can be very difficult to do, without loading it down with technical information. I hope I gave you a good insight into the album without doing this. Please leave your comments, criticisms or otherwise!!!
I always worry about buying albums, in case I dislike most of the tracks. It would be nice to be able to listen to it first! You have come pretty near to giving me this insight! Good op. Jackie :o)
Pooh244 13.01.2002 21:51
I agree with you
jess0910 13.01.2002 21:32
Great op - I must admit I thought You Rock My World was pretty funky. Jess x
For such a boldly titled and apparently driven attempt to reinstate Michael Jackson at the ... more
centre of the pop world,Invincibleis a listless thing. Split between scratchy funk workouts and mid-tempo ballads that might have appeared asBadB-sides, the albu...
Postage & Packaging: £1.24 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
For such a boldly titled and apparently driven attempt to reinstate Michael Jackson at the ... more
centre of the pop world, Invincible is a listless thing. Split between scratchy funk workouts and mid-tempo ballads that might have appeared as Bad B-sides, the ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Jan 13th, 2002
very helpful by (96%):
helpful by (4%):
![Bad [Remastered] - Michael Jackson](http://imagesa.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/340/prod_small-5968340.jpg)
![Thriller [Remastered] - Michael Jackson](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/303/prod_small-5968303.jpg)
