Michael Jackson's first posthumous album, Michael, has been met with mixed emotions by fans of the King of Pop. Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am lashed out at MJ's estate for commissioning the album, while Akon, a contributor on the project, hailed the effort.
Some of the songwriters and producers behind Michael are simply asking people to give it a chance before making a decision.
"They're gonna love the music, because it speaks for itself," Eddie Cascio, who is credited as a songwriter on "Breaking News," told. "Michael sounds great. The songs are great. The production sounds great. Teddy Riley did a phenomenal job finishing off the songs. The quality and production are incredible."
Theron "Neff-U" Feemster agreed. The producer had a hand in three of the album's 10 tracks, including "Hollywood Tonight" and standouts "(I Like) The Way You Love Me" and "Best of Joy." Feemster worked with Jackson in the past, as did the majority of the contributors to Michael, which he thinks made the project uniquely authentic despite MJ having little say in the way his tracks were completed.
"It wasn't difficult," Feemster told of picking up the rough material. "It was like coloring. It was coloring a frame that was already structured. Michael mentored me so much to where I kind of knew how to complete his sentences. I understood the expectations that he wanted. He wanted to be beyond great. He wanted to give the world a gift, something they'd never heard or seen before. So even after his passing, it was great to have a great team of people to work with who also had experience working with Michael. It made it that much easier. Bringing very creative people together and people who understood his integrity and what he wanted as well, it was great."
What do you think of Michael? Share your reviews in the comments.