This article is about the album. You may have been looking for the song.
Xscape (stylized in all caps) is the second and final posthumous album credited to American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, released through Epic Records on May 9, 2014.
American producer Timbaland and now ex-CEO of the label, L.A. Reid, executively produced modernized versions of the songs, with additional production from Rodney Jerkins, StarGate, and John McClain. The deluxe edition features original versions of the 8 songs.
On the day of the record's release, a track-by-track commentary from Timbaland and Reid was also released on streaming services.[1]
Background[]
Following Jackson's death in 2009, Sony Music and the Michael Jackson Estate began planning new releases soon enough with the controversial posthumous record Michael in 2010 and the Bad 25 anniversary reissue in 2012. Reid and Timbaland first began discussing the second posthumous album in 2013, with work beginning in the same year. Production ended in 2014. The title Xscape was chosen to continue the trend of naming Jackson's LPs with "one-word titles, each with an edgy quality to them".[2]
| “ | Michael was always on the cutting edge and was constantly reaching out to new producers, looking for new sounds. He was always relevant and current. These tracks, in many ways, capture that spirit. We thank L.A. Reid for his vision. | ” |
–John Branca & John McClain, "XSCAPE-Long Awaited New Music From Michael Jackson"[2] | ||
The record was first announced on March 31, 2014, with the first teaser being released on April 21.[3] It consists of songs Jackson worked on at multiple points in his career, most notably Invincible sessions, including "Chicago" (originally titled "She Was Lovin' Me"), "A Place with No Name", "Blue Gangsta", and "Xscape".
Artwork[]
The album cover was designed by Matt Maitland. It features Jackson in a space-like imagery. This picture of Jackson was previously unseen, having been taken in 1997 during the photoshoot for "Blood on the Dance Floor".
The album went on to have multiple cover arts scrapped as well. One of them, also done by Maitland, depicted a younger Jackson surrounded by many obscure objects, notably his pet chimpanzee, Bubbles. Another scrapped artwork was later featured as a poster included in the physical copies of the album. Once again, the image of Jackson was borrowed from the "Blood on the Dance Floor" shoot. The third scrapped cover is nearly 1:1 as the final one, except for Jackson's longer, curly hair. This cover would sometimes get featured in the record's promo at the official michaeljackson.com site.
During Xscape's promotion, a bunch of songs received promotional art as well, including "Chicago", "Loving You", "Slave to the Rhythm", and "Do You Know Where Your Children Are". These would feature the album cover with an altered background, and the song title on top.
Promotion[]
Live performances[]
Usher performing live to "Love Never Felt So Good" at the iHeartRadio Music Awards 2014
To promote the album's release, "Love Never Felt So Good" was performed live with Jackson-inspired choreography by American R&B singer Usher and multiple other dancers at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on May 1, 2014.[4] Although not released as a single, on May 18, 2014, the song "Slave to the Rhythm" was performed live by a Pepper's ghost of Jackson at the Billboard Music Awards, works on which began in late 2013.[5] The record also saw promotion through posters and graffiti around multiple places in the United States.
Reception[]
Xscape received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who stated it to be an album full of "undiscovered gems". It was marked as a major improvement over its problematic predecessor, and the reworks by Timbaland were much more praised over those on the Michael album, as they don't "overwhelm" the structure of the songs. The album received some mixed reactions as well, however, claiming it didn't feel up to Jackson's standards.
Fans' reception has stayed mixed over the years, as although many enjoy the record as a whole, a lot have a dislike for the contemporizations, especially for tracks like "Loving You", "A Place with No Name" and "Do You Know Where Your Children Are" which are criticized for being overproduced, and straying too far from Jackson's original vision, thus his listeners most often prefer listening to the demos released on the deluxe edition.
Singles[]
May 2, 2014
August 12, 2014
Spotify[]
Track list[]
| Standard edition | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Love Never Felt So Good" | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Chicago" | 4:05 |
| 3. | "Loving You" | 3:15 |
| 4. | "A Place with No Name" | 5:35 |
| 5. | "Slave to the Rhythm" | 4:15 |
| 6. | "Do You Know Where Your Children Are" | 4:36 |
| 7. | "Blue Gangsta" | 4:14 |
| 8. | "Xscape" | 4:05 |
| Total length: | 34:25 | |
| Deluxe edition | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 9. | "Love Never Felt So Good (original version)" | 3:55 |
| 10. | "Chicago (original version)" | 4:05 |
| 11. | "Loving You (original version)" | 3:15 |
| 12. | "A Place with No Name (original version)" | 5:35 |
| 13. | "Slave to the Rhythm (original version)" | 4:15 |
| 14. | "Do You Know Where Your Children Are (original version)" | 4:36 |
| 15. | "Blue Gangsta (original version)" | 4:14 |
| 16. | "Xscape (original version)" | 4:05 |
| 17. | "Love Never Felt So Good" (featuring Justin Timberlake) | 4:06 |
| Total length: | 1:13:43 | |
| LP | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 9. | "Love Never Felt So Good" (featuring Justin Timberlake) | 4:06 |
| Total length: | 38:30 | |
| Sony Xperia Lounge edition | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 9. | "Chicago (Papercha$er Remix)" | 4:19 |
| Total length: | 38:44 | |
Cut songs[]
Personnel[]
- Michael Jackson – lead and background vocals, producer (1, 9–12, 14–16), vocal producer (2–4, 6–8, 17)
- Dayna Anderson – violin (tracks 5–7, 17)
- Paul Anka – producer and original piano (track 1), piano (9), vocal producer (17)
- Babyface – vocal producer (track 5), producer and keyboards (13)
- Paul Bailey – assistant engineer (tracks 3, 6)
- Cheryl Banks – production coordination
- Davis Barnett – viola (tracks 5–7, 17)
- Michelle Bishop – violin (tracks 5–7)
- Adam Blackstone – bass (track 17)
- Bill Bottrell – engineer (track 14)
- John Branca – executive producer
- Stuart Brawley – engineer and second engineer (track 16)
- Greg Burns – second engineer (tracks 12, 16)
- Jeff Burns – second engineer (tracks 12, 15, 16)
- Brad Buxer – keyboards (track 15)
- Demacio "Demo" Castellon – engineer (tracks 6, 17), mixing (17)
- Jeff Chestek – engineer (tracks 5–7, 17)
- Vadim Chislov – assistant engineer (tracks 6, 17), assistant mixing (17)
- Eliza Cho – violin (tracks 5–7)
- Cody Cichowski – assistant engineer (track 17)
- Nina Cottman – viola (track 17)
- LaShawn Daniels – background vocals (tracks 8, 16)
- Arlia de Ruiter – violin (track 1)
- Eddie Delena – engineer (track 12)
- Jeroen de Rijk – percussion (track 1)
- C.J. DeVillar – bass and assistant engineer (track 12), engineer (15)
- Alex DeYoung – assistant engineer (track 1)
- Chris Desmond – engineer (track 11)
- John Doelp – associate producer
- Guillame Combet – violin (track 17)
- Mike Donaldson – engineer and additional vocal editing (track 8)
- Craig Durrance – second engineer (track 16)
- Eric – drums and percussion (track 15)
- Sean Erick – horns (track 17)
- Mikkel S. Eriksen – producer, engineer, and instrumentation (track 4)
- Blake Espy – violin (tracks 5–7, 17)
- Mike Daddy Evans – production coordination
- Glenn Fischbach – cello (track 17)
- Matt Forger – engineer (tracks 11, 14)
- Rick Frazier – production coordination
- Dr. Freeze – vocal producer (tracks 4, 7), producer and background vocals (12, 15), synths, horns, and meows (15)
- Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering (tracks 1–8, 17)
- Humberto Gatica – engineer (track 12)
- Brad Gilderman – engineer (track 16)
- Mike Ging – engineer (tracks 12, 15)
- Chris Godbey – engineer (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 17), mixing (2, 3, 5–7, 17)
- Larry Gold – string arrangements (tracks 5–8, 17)
- Franny Graham – second engineer (track 16)
- Bernie Grundman – mastering (tracks 9–16)
- Fredrik Strand Halland – guitar (track 8)
- Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon – co-producer (tracks 2, 3, 5–7), producer (17)
- Trehy Harris – mixing (track 8)
- Harvey – percussion (track 16)
- Tor Erik Hermansen – producer and instrumentation (track 4)
- Jerry Hey – horns (tracks 7 and 15)
- Kevin Hissink – lead guitar (track 1)
- Mieke Honingh – violin (track 1)
- Jean-Marie Horvat – engineer (track 16)
- Norman Jansen – violin (track 1)
- Rodney Jerkins – producer (tracks 8, 16); vocal producer, engineer, and mixing (8); background vocals and mouth percussion (16)
- Perry Jimenez – assistant engineer (tracks 2, 5), engineer (7)
- Dan Johnson – second engineer (track 12)
- Brandon Jones – engineer (track 7)
- Daniel Jones – producer (track 7)
- Michael Jorgersen – violin (track 17)
- Jaycen Joshua – mixing (track 8)
- Julia Jowett – violin (track 1)
- Tommy Joyner – assistant engineer (track 17)
- A. Kilhoffer – second engineer (track 16)
- Jonathan Kim – viola (tracks 5–7, 17)
- Sarah Koch – violin (track 1)
- Wim Kok – violin (track 1)
- Rutger "Ruffi" Kroese – drum programming and assistant engineer (track 1)
- Emma Kummrow – violin (tracks 5–7, 17)
- Vera Laporeva – violin (track 1)
- Jennifer Lee – violin (track 17)
- Tamae Lee – violin (tracks 5–7, 17)
- Arend Liefkes – bass (track 1)
- Elisabeth Liefkes-Cats – violin (track 1)
- King Solomon Logan – producer (track 7)
- Jennie Lorenzo – cello (tracks 5–7, 17)
- Luigi Mazzocchi – violin (tracks 5–7)
- Steve McAuley – second engineer (track 16)
- John McClain – executive producer, producer (track 1)
- Paul McKenna – engineer (track 13)
- Ranaan L. Meyer – bass (tracks 5–7)
- Erica Miller – violin (tracks 5–7)
- Mo Horns – horns (track 8)
- Jesús Morales – cello (tracks 5–7)
- Greg Morgan – break editing & sound design (track 8)
- Cole Nystrom – assistant engineer (track 1)
- Adam Olmsted – assistant engineer (track 12), second engineer (15)
- Charles Parker – violin (tracks 5–7, 17)
- David Peijnenburg – violin (track 1)
- Dave Pensado – mixing (track 1)
- Karl Petersen – assistant engineer (tracks 5–7)
- Greg Phillinganes – Minimoog (track 15)
- Larry Phillabaum – second engineer (track 16)
- Paul Power – engineer (track 1)
- L.A. Reid – vocal producer (track 5); producer, drums, and percussion (13); music coordinator
- Daniela Rivera – additional/assistant engineer (track 4)
- Kevin "Kayo" Roberson – bass (track 13)
- Cory Rooney – vocal producer (track 2), producer (10)
- Carlos Rubio – violin (tracks 5–7)
- Thom Russo – second engineer (track 13)
- Rafa Sardina – second engineer (track 15)
- Marcel Schimscheimer – bass (track 1)
- Leon Silva – horns (track 17)
- Renee Steffy-Warnick – viola (tracks 5–7)
- Bruce Swedien – engineer (tracks 13, 16)
- Tom Sweeney – second engineer (track 15)
- David Swope – assistant engineer (track 10)
- Phil Tan – mixing (track 4)
- Annie Tangberg – cello (track 1)
- Pauline Terlouw – violin (track 1)
- Timbaland – executive producer, producer (tracks 2, 3, 5–7, 17)
- Justin Timberlake – lead vocals (track 17)
- Steve Tirpak – copyist and assistant to string arranger (tracks 5–7, 17)
- Giorgio Tuinfort – producer, drum programming, additional piano (track 1)
- Vera Van Der Bie – violin (track 1)
- Franck van der Heijden – orchestral arrangements and conductor (track 1)
- Bastiaan Van Der Werf – cello (track 1)
- Herman Van Haaren – violin (track 1)
- Mark Ward – cello (tracks 5–7)
- Dan Warner – lead guitar (tracks 2, 6, 17)
- Matt Weber – assistant mixing (tracks 2, 3, 5–7, 17)
- David Williams – original guitar solo (track 6), lead guitar (14)
- Kevin Williams – horns (track 17)
- Robb Williams – engineer (track 10)
- Mat Maitland – cover imagery, art direction and design
- Bill Nation - cover photography
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Sony Music's chief executive, Rob Stringer, stated in 2018 that there are no plans for any more full-fledged posthumous albums like Michael or Xscape. This makes Xscape the final proper album released under Jackson's name, excluding the anniversary rereleases and the "Scream" compilation.[6]
- Jesse Johnson (former guitarist of the band, The Time) mentioned he worked on a song for the album that would feature May J. Blige, Questlove, and D'Angelo,[7] but the track wasn't included. It is now known to be "Hot Fun in the Summertime", as confirmed in a post by Damien Shields.[8]
- Steve Porcaro was approached about including "Chicago 1945" or even "Dream Away" on the album, however, he disagreed, stating that he disapproved the estate's "straight to remix" approach.[9]
- Before the album's release, nearly all of the songs featured, except for "Loving You", were leaked online throughout the years.
- In 2006, DJ Temperamental's remix of "Blue Gangsta" featuring Pras was uploaded to his MySpace profile, although he wasn't permitted to do so by Jackson. The original post has since been lost, as in 2015, the site's music archive was lost.
- The "Slave to the Rhythm" performance at the Billboard Music Awards received mixed reviews as fans said the dance moves weren't as smooth or that the illusion didn't even look like Jackson.[5]
- The Pepper's ghost is also often incorrectly referred to as a hologram.
- Every song from Xscape managed to get into the Dutch Top 100 charts at the same time on May 17, 2014.
References[]
- ↑ XSCAPE - Track by Track Commentary - Album by Michael Jackson | Spotify
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 XSCAPE-Long Awaited New Music From Michael Jackson
- ↑ Michael Jackson - XSCAPE - OFFICIAL Album Teaser [NEW 2014] - YouTube
- ↑ Michael Jackson ft. Usher - Love Never Felt So Good (Live at iHeartRadio MusicAwards) [2 Channels] - YouTube
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Michael Jackson - Slave To The Rhythm - YouTube
- ↑ No New Albums Planned As Label Embraces One-Off Singles Model - MJVibe
- ↑ D'angelo, Questlove, Mary J. Blige & More Confirmed To Be On Michael Jackson's Posthumous 'XSCAPE' LP - Okayplayer
- ↑ Damien Shields on X: "@LucianoWalker_ @LotfiSif @O7ald0n4n0 @Dolby @AppleMusic Michael: Love Never Felt So Good, She Was Loving Me, Lovely Way To Go, Slave To The Rhythm, Do You Know Where Your Children Are, Blue Gangsta, A Place With No Name, Throwing Your Life Away plus Cascio fakes All I Need, Burn Tonight and Stay. Xscape: Hot Fun In The Summertime." / X
- ↑ Meeting Steve Porcaro and hearing “Chicago 1945” — Майкл Джексон.ру