My sister used to crank this album on a regular basis shortly after its release, and I remember out-and-out hating it. I quite like it now, and I'm not sure if my tastes have just changed over time, or if back then my 1990s contrariness was just rearing its head a little early.
Jacko, together with producer Quincy Jones, had produced 2 amazingly successful albums in 'Off the Wall' and 'Thriller'. With Thriller having been the highest selling album of all time (still is), it was a bit of a difficult act to follow. Despite the weight of expectation, they come out firing with what is a brilliant (if somewhat over-polished) collection of songs.
The songs continues Jacko's mix of funk-rock (Smooth Criminal), cheese-rock and weepy soul (I Just Can't Stop Loving You). He got right into the tough guy roll hinted at by the title track, donning his leathers with more buckles and zips than had been seen on an album cover before.
Whether or not this music is up to the standard of his previous couple of releases is up for debate; either way, it's a solid collection of songs. Certainly from this point on, success (presumably also fuelled by his messed up childhood) started to warp him into a crazy, monkey-toting, plastic-surgery-getting weirdo, whose music could still stoke the fires every now and then; but didn't really continue to hit the same heights.
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