I love music, all kinds of music. I have a few favorite genres and artists. I know what 10 albums I would bring with me to a deserted island, and all of that.  There are however a few artists that transcend every classification and are just phenomenal, that I can always appreciate, and never tire of. Pink Floyd, Queen, U2, Sublime, and Eric Clapton are a few of mine. The King of pop is certainly on this list as well.

I grew up in the 80’s and you didn’t exist in the 80’s with out being aware of the king of pop – Michael Jackson. And like any good 80’s kid I loved Michael. As an adult I can now appreciate what a supremely talented musical (albeit crazy) genius he was. So when I heard that he had some music coming out, I got kind of excited.

 is the second posthumous compilation album of previously unreleased tracks by  Michael Jackson. It was released on May 13, 2014 by Epic Records and MJJ Music, so I have had about a week to listen to it, and its exactly what I was expecting it would be, Its a fun album of mostly unreleased and remixed Jackson songs, mostly pop and R&B, all unmistakably MJ. The album comes as two versions, the regular album, and the deluxe edition with the original recordings of the songs, and a duet with Justin Timberlake. The song list is on the regular version of the album is as follows:

1. Love Never Felt So Good
2. Chicago
3. Loving You
4. A Place with No Name
5. Slave to the Rhythm
6. Do You Know Where Your Children Are
7. Blue Gangsta
8. Xscape

I really enjoyed, “Loving You”, and “Blue Gangsta” is kind of fun. I thought that “A Place with No Name” was a interesting and upbeat version of the America classic. The rest of the album holds its own very well too, but of course my favorite is “Love Never Felt so Good”, especially the duet version.

The first song that I heard was also the first single released from the deluxe album. “Love Never Felt so Good” features one of my other perennial favorites, Justin Timberlake. I have often compared these two artists in their style, sound and talent, so it was really incredible to hear a duet from them. Obviously it isn’t the same as it would be if Michael were alive and they could truly build off of one another’s performance,  but it is still a fantastic collaboration. I think it gives justice to what MJ would have produced if he were here to be involved in the project.

If you are a Jackson fan, you will really love this album. Throughout his career he has recorded a tremendous body of work, and there may still be a fair amount of his music we might never hear. The songs, that were chosen for Xscape really are perfect for it. It is produced and put together so well, and is everything you want to hear on a Michael Jackson record. It is easy to call this one swell.