Michael Jackson "Michael"

Michael is an upcoming posthumous album of unreleased tracks by American recording artist Michael Jackson. Set to be released by Epic Records on December 14, 2010 in the United States, Michael features previously unreleased music, including the song "Breaking News", which was originally recorded in 2007 in New Jersey and completed after the singer's death in 2009. The album features guest performances by Akon, 50 Cent, and Lenny Kravitz.
Background

In accordance to the official announcement on November 12, 2010, it features 10 tracks.

The first released song, "Breaking News," was recorded in New Jersey in 2007 and "recently brought to completion."Other tracks were recorded at studios in Las Vegas and Los Angeles with various unidentified collaborators. In the years prior to his death, Jackson was reported to be working with contemporary hitmakers like singer-songwriter Akon and producer RedOne.

Visit: Michael Jackson

The first official single, "Hold My Hand," was a duet with Akon, which was recorded in 2007. A handwritten note from Michael belonging to his Estate indicated his desire that "Hold My Hand" be the first single on his next project. However, in its unfinished state, the song leaked out in July 2008. Before the release, Akon stated that the final version would have more of Jackson's vocals. The song was released globally on Monday, November 15 at 12:01am EST.



Album cover

The album cover artwork, a 2009 commissioned oil painting by African American artist Kadir Nelson, features two cherubs placing a crown on Jackson's head against a mural depicting the images of the singer at different stages in his career.Nelson said that Jackson approached him several years ago to create a project detailing his life and career. The project stalled, but was revived in 2009 by one of the estate's executors, John McClain.

"Michael wears a golden suit of armor and stares at the viewer as he is crowned by cupids," Nelson said. "He places his hand over his heart and looks directly at the viewer, a symbol of Jackson's big heart and strong connection to his fans and music. A monarch butterfly sits on his shoulder, another symbol of Jackson's metamorphosis as a singer and entertainer, as well as a symbol of royalty. His musical history unfolds behind him."

The original Sony publicity release of the album cover featured the Prince symbol in a bubble next to the tiger's head. This sparked discussion on the internet as to whether Prince was involved on any of the new songs. The official response from Prince's camp was "No permission was granted"and the symbol has since been removed from the cover on all official Sony websites.


Promotion

"Breaking News" was the first song from the album to be unveiled. On November 5, a video teaser for the song was released on Jackson's official website. It opens with a montage of various television journalists reporting breaking news about Jackson, followed by the musical introduction of a song.The video refers to the tabloid stories and legal troubles that plagued Jackson in the years leading up to his death.On November 8, 2010, the full length version of the song was released,and made available on MichaelJackson.com for one week.

The album's first single, "Hold My Hand," was released on November 15, 2010.


Track listing
Standard edition
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Hold My Hand" (featuring Akon) Michael Jackson, Aliaune Thiam, Giorgio Tuinfort, Claude Kelly 3:31
2. "Hollywood Tonight" Michael Jackson, Brad Buxer
3. "Keep Your Head Up" Michael Jackson, Eddie Cascio, James Porte 5:11
4. "(I Like) The Way You Love Me" Michael Jackson 4:30
5. "Monster" (featuring 50 Cent) Michael Jackson, Eddie Cascio, James Porte, rap lyrics by Curtis Jackson
6. "Best of Joy" Michael Jackson
7. "Breaking News" Michael Jackson, Eddie Cascio, James Porte 4:17
8. "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" (featuring Lenny Kravitz) Michael Jackson, Lenny Kravitz
9. "Behind the Mask" Michael Jackson, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Chris Mosdell
10. "Much Too Soon" Michael Jackson 2:52