Invincible
Audio CD
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£3.79
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Reviewer
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I bought the cd and copied it into my hard drive. I took many of these songs and some of his other songs from earlier albums particularly "Lady in my Life" from Thriller and made an MJ love songs cd. My husband and I love it! The songs are beautiful, particularly, "Break of Dawn", "Rock My World", "Speechless", "Butterflies" all of the ballads on this cd are great for making love. They are perfect background music played low. Seriously, MJ had one of the sexiest voices ever to get you in the mood for love. I'm surprised his record label never came out with an MJ love songs cd. Since he died I have fallen in love with his voice. He had one of the greatest singing voices ever imo.
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After listening to the 1st half eagerly I was left dissapointed. I'm a big MJ fan but this isn't the type of album that made him brilliant. If you're a die hard fan then fine, otherwise give this a miss and remember only the good stuff.
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Way ahead of its time in 2001 one critic said it would take 10 years for people to recognise the brilliance of this album - well Billboard voters have placed Invincible as the Best Album of the Decade. So 9 years of thousands of other artists albums cannot compete with the master.
As others have said this is not an album of instant pop/dance songs but an album to listen to - i promise you once you have played this through a few times you will be hooked.Michaels vocals (in his early 40's!!!) is absolutely sublime on the ballads especially Heaven Can Wait, Speechless will leave you speechless and Dont Walk Away will leave you with a lump in your throat with the raw emotions expressed by Michael. An absolute kaleidascope of songs. I will not go through the list of songs as other reviewers have done that but this is the only cd i own (and i have thousands) that I play when I just want to sit and listen to a wonderful voice, beautiful lyrics and exceptional music. A must for all mj fans and for new fans to appreciate that Michael Jackson was not just Thriller/Billie Jean and groundbreaking videos - he was a musical genius in all respects.
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It is absolutely correct to say this album will grow on you if you have doubts about it at the first play. Stick with it, it is an album of contrasts and very beautiful as well as hard hitting lyrics, listen closely, read the words, guarantee you will be very glad you bought it. Considering it was his last, it proves when he left us, he was on the top of the heap, not the bottom!
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When released in 2001, the lazy media consensus on Michael Jackson's "Invincible" is that it was a average at best, a pale imitation of his earlier work, and terrible at worst. Released as it was while Jackson's reputation was near its nadir, most critics wanted to hate it. But I don't think it deserved that.
There are some great tracks here. His best ever? No, of course not. A direct comparison with "Thriller" (the standard yardstick) is unfair. Any long-standing artist has to change their style over the years lest they stagnate, and Michael Jackson was no different. What he did with "Invincible" was tap into the rnb/soul/rap flavour of pop music which was dominant around 2001. Normally I have little time for such music, but Jackson made it sound fresh and exuberant.
The best song here is the first released single "You Rock My World". A dangerously funky, bubbly disco song with an addictive chorus and sharp production. Why it was panned as average by the critics, I have no idea, since it's as liable as "Smooth Criminal" or "Billie Jean" to get your feet up and dancing.
Opening track "Unbreakable" is another funky dance song with a catchy hook.
"2000 Watts" ain't bad either, it's certainly different. Lyrics are a bit corny, but it works.
"Butterflies", originally written by a British soul artist, is a lush ballad with excellent use of instruments. Mesmerisingly sweet. The horns in the chorus give it a classic feel... and it IS a classic.
"Cry" is the standard Jackson heal-the-world style song. It's quite slow-paced but it builds nicely to a final chorus with good backing vocals.
"Threatened" deals with the media's portrayal of Jackson as a sinister, paranoid figure. Depending on how you view of MJ, it's either a justified angry swipe, or rather pathetic. Either way, the use of Rod Sterling's Twilight Zone style narration is very cool.
There are plenty of other songs on "Invincible"; 16 tracks in total. Some of them, sadly, are filler. And dull filler at that. Usually the ballads and weepy songs. As a whole, though, Michael Jackson's final proper studio album is far, far better than it was given credit for by smart-arse critics. If you like Jackson's music in the slightest, this belongs in your collection.
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