Happy 20th Anniversary to Michael Jackson’s tenth & final studio album Invincible, originally released in the UK October 29, 2001 and in the US October 30, 2001.
When you think about the musical legacy of Michael Jackson and the string of hit albums he delivered, your mind probably recalls the heydays of Thriller (1982) or the innovation of Bad (1987) and Dangerous (1991). One album that isn't as widely recognized or lauded is what would turn out to be Jackson's unintended final album, Invincible, released in 2001.
Invincible debuted atop the charts upon its release, but, unlike earlier outings, it quickly descended and didn't have the usual staying power of a Jackson release. This was largely due to a strained and ultimately acrimonious relationship between Jackson and his record label Sony, who initially gave the album support, but quickly dropped planned promotions and botched the handling of singles. Coupled with a canceled world tour in the wake of September 11th, Jackson was left with an album that ended up screaming into the void rather than creating a seismic shift, as most of his albums did.
Known to spend extended periods in the studio recording a new album, Invincible took on a weight of its own as initial recording sessions in late 1997 dragged on and on for almost four years. With each passing year, anticipation would build and subside. Any momentum gained from the brilliant HIStory (1995) album soon disappeared as pop and R&B audiences began crowning new pop heirs. This, of course, put extra pressure on the ultimate release of Invincible, with many perceiving it more as Jackson's attempt at a comeback than the next chapter in his illustrious career.
Upon its release, the album met with underwhelming reviews and many in the fan community, myself included, felt the album was patchy or suffered from its sequencing. It also felt overly drawn out. Whereas Jackson was usually an innovator at the forefront of popular music, Invincible (a victim of the lengthy recorded process) ended up sounding, in parts, like someone playing catch-up.
All that's not to say that Invincible doesn't have some landmark moments. Every song when taken in isolation has its merits and vies for inclusion. It’s just when assembled and sequenced in the way it was delivered, it somehow ends up being less than the sum of its parts and, as has oft been debated, would have potentially been a stronger album if trimmed to ten tracks instead of sixteen.
Now, with 20 years distance since its release, some of the catch-up criticism seems moot as the album's more dance-oriented tracks hold up surprisingly well. Album opener "Unbreakable" pounds and struts with a defiant swagger, and Jackson's floating pre-chorus vocals are underpinned by an inspired reworking of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Unbelievable." Fittingly Biggie appears in a posthumous rap lifted from "You Can't Stop The Reign" by Shaquille O'Neal, which feels more at home here than on the original.
Similarly, the title track "Invincible" leans heavily into a hip-hop groove and Jackson delivers a head-bobbing tale of unrequited love. The production on this track is especially noteworthy with cohort Rodney Jerkins blending his sharp edge beats with Jackson's smoother inklings for sweeping melodies.
Jackson blends his past with the current in "You Rock My World," which calls back some of the laid-back and breezy vibes of Jackson's Off The Wall (1979) era hits. One wishes they leaned more into this and used those lush strings of the Off The Wall era to accent the chorus rather than the more clinical synth strings it displays. Jackson's vocals here are also some of his strongest, showing that he was still in his prime vocally.
The most surprising and innovative moment on the record comes by way of the glitch heavy precursor to dubstep, the made-for-headphones romp of "Heartbreaker" that draws influence from the splice-and-dice wizardry of BT. The track is a force of dance funk that is unrelenting and has all the elements that make Jackson's innovative works so captivating, as he mixes tense beats with soothing harmonies.
But not every step into the dance arena pays off. The Teddy Riley helmed "2000 Watts" is almost instantly forgettable and lacks the usual sense of punch that came from a Jackson/Riley pairing. But Riley redeems himself with his production on the sweet and soulful "Heaven Can Wait," which finds an impassioned Jackson begging his maker for more time on earth with a powerhouse performance.
Jackson's vocals also shine on the acoustic-led ballad of "Don't Walk Away" and the seductive and lush "Break Of Dawn," which should have been earmarked for a single release. And in an unexpected moment of a capella, the purity of Jackson's voice is on full display in the opening and closing moments of "Speechless," which ultimately suffers from saccharine production amid the track. Still, those two bookend moments are goosebump inducing.
"Speechless" is arguably the poster child for all that is right and wrong with the album as a whole. The song falls down in the overblown production that feels like every instrument that could be thrown on the track was, and ultimately it suffers as a result. But it is those stripped-back moments at the opening and closing where it is just Jackson's vocals sans tricks and production techniques that let the heart of the artist shine through.
Overblown might be an apt word to describe the layers at work on "Threatened," Jackson's latest horror-themed offering. With an intricate cut and pasting of various Twilight Zone introductions to illicit a beyond-the-grave rap from host Rod Serling, "Threatened" features a grimy funk groove that bubbles and brews beneath Jackson's vocals. Although it is a solid-enough song, it does come across as Jackson going over well-trodden ground, looking for his latest "Thriller," and it pales in comparison.
That feeling of the familiar is evident in "Cry," seen as this album's gospel track. And listen, it's a decent track, but it just doesn't connect in the same way that "Man In The Mirror" or "Will You Be There" does, despite its key change and adlib attempts to do so. Likewise, "Privacy" is this album's media persecuted song, and once again, you feel you're being told the same story as previous outings, but in a less compelling way. There's no question about the validity of the narrative—Jackson was undoubtedly hounded by the press—but by now, the innovation of fighting back through his music had lessened its impact.
The Jackson ballad tropes are unfurled yet again on "You Are My Life," as Jackson dedicates the song to his children. Touching, yes. A decent ballad, maybe. But as one of five ballads on the album, it does make you wonder that perhaps something had to give to result in a more balanced album.
And upon first glance, the overtly super-sweet "The Lost Children" is enough to have you rolling your eyes at his well-meaning intent, but perhaps misplaced efforts. But within the track, Jackson layered an audio Easter Egg, sampling voices from a favorite episode of the Twilight Zone episode entitled "Kick The Can." In the episode, people in an old folks’ home are reminded of the joys of youth and how playing "kick the can" kept them young, and as soon as they stopped playing, they grew up. With this audio nod, Jackson isn’t lamenting missing children as first thought, but rather the lost child in all adults who have set aside childish things and lost that spark of youth.
Where other tracks feel overcooked, restraint was shown on the beautiful neo-soul trip "Butterflies," penned by Andre Harris and Marsha Ambrosius. This velvety smooth, soulful number sees Jackson take flight with soaring vocals aided by his pairing with the equally soulful Ambrosius for several scat runs. It is a gorgeous track that warranted more than an only-to-radio release.
But perhaps the musical injustice of Invincible is that its crowning moment of "Whatever Happens," which sees Jackson embracing Afro-Latin grooves as he tells a story of plight and promise, has been largely marginalized within the broader context of Jackson’s recorded repertoire. With Carlos Santana featured as Jackson's guitar maestro du jour, the song sears itself into your soul and deserves a more prominent place in Jackson's canon than that of a deep cut.
Is Invincible Jackson's greatest album? I think most fans and critics would agree it's not. But does it deserve to be as maligned as it is? Arguably not. Yes, it suffers from being too top-heavy with dance tracks and then loses its way in the middle. And yes, there's the too-familiar tropes on songs such as "Privacy" and "Threatened." And granted, five ballads might be too much for one listening session.
But it does have more than its fair share of stellar moments that remind you just how gifted Jackson was as a singer and songwriter. On balance, Invincible is an album well worth revisiting. It may just surprise you, and you may discover a new favorite in the mix.
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