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Michael Jackson is back with a new album. Well sort of, he's not back because we know you can't come back from the dead. However his newest offering Xscape was released this month and it's been one of the key angles of Sony's campaign for their newest flagship model in the Xperia range, the Z2. If you listen to a lot of popular music, you'll already have heard the first single, Love Never Felt So Good which features Justin Timberlake (And if you haven't, listen to it right now!)

We were at the joint Xperia/Xscape launch last week and we had the chance to see the video for the single (And star in it too!) At the end of the night we walked away with a copy of Xscape for our listening pleasure (Thanks a lot Sony Music!) 

This album is what is known as a posthumous album (I.e. an album released after someone has passed away) and music producer, LA Reid, was especially determined to make it a masterpiece. 

Throwback to time spent in the presence of musical genius. #MJTBT pic.twitter.com/SLqFx7UBww

— LA Reid (@LA_Reid) May 16, 2014

"I wanted to choose songs that Michael sang from top to bottom several times, that way I would know that he wanted the world to hear it" said LA on the topic of why these specific songs were chosen for the album. 

We see where he's coming from, and as MJ fans we certainly believe that everyone should hear everything Michael ever touched, even if it was one line. This is why we were so excited to get our hands on Xscape but the excitement didn't last for too long. 

It's difficult to criticize a legend. Not just MJ- but the producers who worked on the album are held in very high esteem. LA Reid has created celebrities overnight while Timbaland, who was an executive producer on the album, has made more hits than we can count. But for us, Xscape  just didn't work. 

It's not a bad album, there are some enjoyable songs. The collaboration with Justin Timberlake adds a fresh element to Love Never Felt So Good  and that's pretty much where the highlights end for Xscape. 

We need to remember that Michael Jackson was an artist who spent every second of an album's production in the studio overseeing every element from the music production to his own vocals. The energy and enthusiasm he had for his sound were unrivalled and you can tell that both elements are missing from this album. 

Xscape is light- but not in a good way. Many songs leave you feeling empty. It's like having a plate of food that never fully satisfies your hunger. We were excited when we heard that unreleased Michael Jackson material was on it's way to our ears but after giving the record a few good listens we began to think that this whole posthumous album thing isn't the best idea. It works if the material was going to be released, but we feel like maybe there is a reason none of these tracks made it onto any of MJ's best albums. 

We still recommend Xscape to any true MJ fans out there; the sound of his voice is enough to make you feel nostalgic, but don't expect any more positive feelings after that. 

4/10