Hitting the top album charts right after its release on May 9, Michael Jackson comes back from the dead through his second, posthumous album “Xscape”.

By compiling all of Michael’s possible hit singles from his music career as well as finishing his unreleased demos, the album starts with a song that brings listeners right back to Michael’s classics, “Love Never Felt So Good”. Yet aside from that track one, most of the other songs seem to be attempts and not full successes of reviving this legend’s style. Michael’s voice and character ring true to the songs on the new album, but the instrumentation is more repetitive than his previous albums.

The song that is also the name of the album, “Xscape”, features upbeat and fast percussion with a non-stop rush of his famed, quick breaths. Contrastingly, “Chicago”takes a slower turn with a mysterious love story and high-hat rhythmical hits. When paired with high synthesizer melodies, the song maintains a chill vibe without losing its strong beats. This quality is also found in his third track “Loving You”, except with less stress on each pulse and more emphasis on the gliding rich tones of his voice.

Although this album is a nice reminder of Michael’s excellent work, it washed out rendition in comparison to his past works. Perhaps in the 21st century, he would have adapted and changed his style to a sound similar to the songs in “Xscape”.

Nevertheless, there are definitely many feel-good songs that are worth listening to.