Xscape is a posthumous album by the American singer-songwriterMichael Jackson.[3] It was released on May 9, 2014, byEpic Records, MJJ Music andSony Music Entertainment, four years after the release ofMichael (2010).L.A. Reid, chairman of Epic Records,curated and served asexecutive producer for the album, enlistingTimbaland to lead a team ofrecord producers, includingJerome "J-Roc" Harmon,Rodney Jerkins,Stargate, and John McClain, to remix and "contemporize" eight selected tracks, which were originally recorded between 1980 and 1999. The standard version ofXscape features the eight reworked tracks, while the deluxe version also includes the original versions of the songs, a bonus remix, and two videos.
The album was preceded by the release of its lead single, "Love Never Felt So Good", which includes a newly recorded version featuringJustin Timberlake. It reached number nine on theBillboard Hot 100 in the US, giving Jackson his first posthumous top ten and his first since "You Rock My World" in 2001. "Love Never Felt So Good" became Jackson's highest charting single on the Hot 100 since his final number one, "You Are Not Alone", in 1995. A second single, "A Place with No Name", was released later that year.Xscape was promoted across the Sony group of companies;Sony Mobile used a snippet of "Slave to the Rhythm" in their advertising campaign for theXperia Z2 mobile phone. APepper's ghost illusion of Jackson performed "Slave to the Rhythm" at the2014Billboard Music Awards in May 2014.[4]
Xscape was a global charting success and received generally positive reviews. It debuted at number two on theBillboard 200 and number one on theBillboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States. It became Jackson's tenth UK number-one album after it debuted atop theUK Albums Chart. The album also debuted at number one in Belgium, Denmark, France, and Spain.Xscape wascertified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) by the end of 2014.
Xscape was the second album of all new music released by Epic Records afterJackson's death in 2009.[5] It was announced on March 31, 2014.[5] It features eight tracks originally recorded between 1980 and 2001.[6][7][8][3]
Reid said that they wanted to honor Jackson's legacy when naming the album: "The title of this album (Xscape) honors Michael's album naming process. He always chose a song from the album to name his projects and, beginning withThriller, used only one word titles, each with an edgy quality to them (Thriller,Bad,Dangerous,HIStory andInvincible)."[14]
"Slave to the Rhythm" was recorded during theDangerous sessions in 1991. A version produced byTricky Stewart leaked on the internet in 2010; it was slated for inclusion onMichael (2010).[19]Justin Bieber also recorded a "duet version" featured with Jackson's vocals, which was leaked in August 2013. The Michael Jackson Estate stated that they had not authorized the release of this recording.[20]
Four songs on the album were originally recorded for possible inclusion onInvincible (2001). "A Place with No Name" was written and recorded in 1998. The track is based on "A Horse with No Name", the 1972 single by American rock bandAmerica. A 24-second snippet was leaked online byTMZ in July 2009 and a full version was leaked in December 2013.[21] "Blue Gangsta" was written and recorded in 1999.[16] Rapper Tempamental remixed the song without Jackson's permission and made it available on hisMySpace page in late 2006.[16] The remix titled "Gangsta (No Friend of Mine)" featuredPras of theFugees.[22] "Chicago" (originally called "She Was Lovin' Me") was recorded in 1999.[16] "Xscape" was written and recorded in 1999 and leaked on the internet in 2002.[16] The song was reworked by its original producer, Rodney Jerkins, and features samples of "You Rock My World", a song recorded for the same album.
In February 2014, Sony and Jackson's estate announced a partnership withSony Mobile for a commercial advertisement for theSony Xperia Z2 mobile phone. The ad incorporated a new version of the track "Slave to the Rhythm", which was the first song announced for the album.[23][24] Prior to its release, the album was played for UK press in the basement of aKnightsbridge hotel on March 31, 2014. The journalists were permitted to hear the album once without any electronic devices, and song titles were kept secret.[25] Pre-orders forXscape in both standard and deluxe editions began on April 1, 2014.[26]
On April 30, it was announced that "Love Never Felt So Good" would be the first single released from the album. It was unveiled at theiHeartRadio Music Awards The following day.[27] It was co-written by Canadian singer-songwriterPaul Anka.[15] The single was simultaneously released in two versions – a solo version and a duet version that featuresJustin Timberlake.[28] The single became available oniTunes on May 2, 2014 and was released to urban radio stations on May 6, 2014.[29][30] On May 4, the track "Chicago" became available toMusic Unlimited subscribers, being followed by "Loving You", "A Place with No Name", "Slave to the Rhythm", and "Do You Know Where Your Children Are" in the succeeding days.[31]
"Love Never Felt So Good" marked Jackson's 49th Hot 100 entry, peaking at number nine.[32] Jackson became the first solo artist to have a single reach the top 10 in six different decades.[33]APepper's ghost[4] illusion of Michael Jackson performed "Slave to the Rhythm" at the2014Billboard Music Awards on May 18, 2014. The performance was choreographed by the Talauega brothers and was directed by Jamie King.[34] A day after the coverage, the "live" performance of "Slave to the Rhythm" was uploaded to Jackson's VEVO YouTube channel.[35] "Slave to the Rhythm" debuted at number 45 on theBillboard charts and became Jackson's 50th Hot 100 hit despite not having been released as a single.[36]
The album was further promoted with the single release of "A Place with No Name" in August 2014.
Xscape has a score of 66 out of 100 onMetacritic, based on 22 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews.[37] Prior to the album release,Xscape was played for critics at exclusive album listening parties inNew York City.[47] Bernadette McNulty fromThe Daily Telegraph praised the album as "pristine", noting the "front-and-center presence of Jackson's voice in the mix".[48] Michael Cragg fromThe Guardian saidXscape feels "like an album created to showcase a handful of Jackson songs that on the whole deserve to be heard".[49] Richard Suchet fromSky News thought the album "sound[ed] more like modern-day remixes".[50] Nick Stevenson fromMixmag asserted that the album was "more like a collection of B-sides fromOff the Wall than a follow-up toInvincible" but also described it as "a collection of undiscovered gems presented in a way that fans from all generations will appreciate".[51]
Many critics described the album as an improvement overits predecessor.[38][45][46] Stephen Thomas Erlewine fromAllMusic wrote that the album was "savvier" thanMichael, writing that it "considers Jackson's legacy quite carefully, deciding to emphasize the splashy soul and diluted disco ofOff the Wall over the triumphantThriller or any of the calculated records that followed in its wake."[38] Joe Sweeney fromSlant wrote that the album was "a carefully curated attempt to redeem the sins of the hastily cobbled-togetherMichael" that "comes close to succeeding". Sweeny described the album as "remotely cohesive, touching on disco, R&B, and contemporary dance music over the course of eight songs whose origins span nearly three decades".[45] Elysa Gardner ofUSA Today said that the producers on the album "ensure that Jackson's enduring strengths as a singer are represented, layering in modern electronic textures without overwhelming the distinctly slinky, shivery vocals or overall structure of the tunes."[52] Writing for Yahoo!,Nekesa Mumbi Moody described the album as a "mixed bag" that fell "below Jackson's standards."[53] Tim Jonz fromThe Guardian felt thatXscape had an "inevitable lack of coherence as a set" but that it served "to remind you why Jackson was once pop's premier genius."[41]
Xscape became Jackson's tenth UK number-one album after it debuted atop theUK Albums Chart with 47,764 first-week sales.[54][55] Currently, sales of the album in the United Kingdom stand at 135,500 copies and has been certified gold by theBritish Phonographic Industry. The album also debuted at number one in Belgium, Denmark, France, and Spain.[56] It debuted at number two on the USBillboard charts with first-week sales of 157,000 copies in the United States.[57] In its second week of sales, the album sold 67,000 more copies. In its third week it sold 35,000 copies bringing its total sales to 259,000 copies.[58] In its fourth week, it sold a little more than 25,000 copies,[59] and the fifth week it sold a little less than 25,000 copies.[60] On September 18, 2014 the album was certified Gold in the US, selling 500,000 copies up to that date.[61]
In Canada, the album debuted at number three on theCanadian Albums Chart, selling 12,000 copies.[62]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^"Michael Jackson's 'Love Never Felt So Good' First Single From XSCAPE Premieres Tonight at the iHeart Radio Music Awards".PR Newswire. May 1, 2014.ProQuest1520241886.
^"Czech Albums – Top 100".ČNS IFPI.Note: On the chart page, select21.Týden 2014 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
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