ThisisRnB bring us the track list to Michael Jackson’s first posthumous album Michael hitting stores on December 14th. Akon and 50 Cent are the only 2 guest appearances while Will.i.am is rumored to be behind the production on at least one of them.
Michael Jackson Estate have also released an official statement on the controversial song ‘Breaking News‘ on which the authenticity of MJ’s vocals is being questioned by fans and family. Read that below as well.
Update: The official track list with minor changes is out . ‘Hold My Hand’ with Akon will be released on November 15th on iTunes.
1. Hold My Hand (Duet with Akon)
2. Hollywood Tonight
3. Keep Your Head Up
4. (I Like) The Way You Love Me
5. Monster (Featuring 50 Cent)
6. Best Of Joy
7. Breaking News
8. (I Canât Make It) Another Day (Featuring Lenny Kravitz)
9. Behind The Mask
10. Much Too Soon
There is nothing more important to the Estate than Michaelâs music, his legacy and his fans.
As the Michael album was being put together, it was decided to bring Teddy Riley on board to work on several songs, including âBreaking News,â a song Michael recorded with Eddie Cascio and James Porte in late 2007 while living at the Cascio family home with his children. Riley produced and submitted âBreaking Newsâ to Sony for inclusion on the album. At that time, no one ever mentioned that the vocals we heard on the Cascio songs, which were basically in demo format, might not be Michael. It was known, however, that the background vocals were a combination of Michael and James Porte.
After the tracks were submitted to Sony, three of these Cascio songs were selected to be on the album, and âBreaking Newsâ was one of the three. The day after the submission and selection of the album tracks, for the very first time, the authenticity of Michaelâs vocals on the Cascio tracks was questioned.
Because of these questions, I was immediately asked by co-Executors John Branca and John McClain to conduct an investigation regarding the authenticity of the lead vocals on the Cascio tracks.
Six of Michaelâs former producers and engineers who had worked with Michael over the past 30 years â Bruce Swedien, Matt Forger, Stewart Brawley, Michael Prince, Dr. Freeze and Teddy Riley â were all invited to a listening session to hear the raw vocals of the Cascio tracks in question. All of these persons listened to the a cappella versions of the vocals on the Cascio tracks being considered for inclusion on the album, so they could give an opinion as to whether or not the lead vocals were sung by Michael. They all confirmed that the vocal was definitely Michael.
Michaelâs musical director and piano player on many of his records over a 20-year period, Greg Phillinganes, played on a Cascio track being produced for the album, and said the voice was definitely Michaelâs. Dorian Holley, who was Michaelâs vocal director for his solo tours for 20 plus years (including the O2 Concert Tour) and is seen in the This Is It film, listened to the Cascio tracks and told me the lead vocal was Michael Jackson.
These are all engineers, producers and musicians who worked on tours and/or in the studio with Michael when he was recording Bad, Thriller, Off The Wall, Dangerous, Invincible, HIStory and Blood On The Dance Floor, and they all reconfirmed their belief that the lead vocals were Michaelâs voice on the Cascio tracks.
The Estate then retained one of the best-known forensic musicologists in the nation to listen to the vocals without any instrumental accompaniment (âa cappellaâ), and to compare them with a cappella vocals from previous Michael songs. This expert performed waveform analysis, an objective scientific test used to determine audio authenticity, on the Cascio tracks, as well as previously released tracks with Michaelâs voice, and reported that ALL of the lead vocals analyzed (which included Cascio tracks) were the voice of Michael Jackson.
Sony Music conducted their own investigation by hiring yet a second well-respected forensic musicologist who also compared the a cappella lead vocals from Cascio tracks against previously released vocals of Michaelâs, and found that it was Michaelâs voice on all sets of the raw vocals. The Cascio tracks were also played for two very prominent persons in the music industry who played crucial roles in Michaelâs career. Both of these individuals believed that the lead vocals were Michaelâs.
Just to be absolutely certain, I also contacted Jason Malachi, a young singer who some persons had wrongfully alleged was a âsoundalikeâ singer that was hired to sing on the Cascio tracks, and I confirmed that he had no involvement with this project whatsoever.
Sony decided that, given the overwhelming objective evidence resulting from the exhaustive investigations outlined above, they wanted to release a record that included three of the Cascio-Porte tracks â because they believed, without reservation, that the lead vocal on all of those tracks were sung by Michael Jackson.
Although there still seem to be concerns being expressed in some quarters about the authenticity of the lead vocals, notwithstanding the opinion of those who worked with Michael, and two independent forensic analysts, ultimately, Michaelâs fans will be the judges of these songs, as they always are. We take all fan comments very seriously, and as Iâd stated above, there is nothing more important to the Estate than Michaelâs music, his legacy and his fans.
Michaelâs fans are extraordinary in their quest for accuracy and their passions to raise their voices in a search for truth! We join with them in our care and concern for Michael. We are continuing to follow up with those who have worked in the studio or on tours with Michael, and if any new information comes to light, we will keep you and the fans advised.
Howard Weitzman, Esq.
Attorney for the Estate Of Michael Jackson
Santa Monica, CA
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