Invincible

Performer: Michael Jackson
Artist: Carlos Santana; Michael Landau; Paulinho Da Costa; Teddy Riley; Brandy; Michael Thompson; The Notorious B.I.G.
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel includes: Michael Jackson (vocals, various instruments, programming); Notorious B.I.G., Fats (rap vocals); Baby Rubba, Prince Johnson, Chris Tucker (spoken vocals): Teddy Riley (various instruments, background vocals); Rodney Jerkins, Andre Harris, Dr. Freeze (various instruments); Carlos Santana, Rick Williams, Michael Thompson, Michael Landau (guitar); Norman Jeff Bradshaw, Matt Cappy (horns); Brad Buxer (keyboards, programming); John "JR" Robinson, Gerald Hayword, Emanuel "Bucket" Baker (drums); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion); Brandy, Richard Stites, LaShawn Daniels, Mario Vasquez, Mary Brown, Scotty Haskell, Andrew Snyder, Melissa Mackay, Monique Donally, Rose Beatty, James Lively, Aley Martinez (background vocals). Producers include: Michael Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, Teddy Riley, R. Kelly, Dr. Freeze. Engineers include: Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley, Rodney Jerkins. "You Rock My World" was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Personnel: Michael Jackson (vocals, programming, background vocals); Brandy (vocals, background vocals); Sue Merriett, Tim Fulford Brown, Laquentan Jordan, Alice Jean McRath, Judy Gossett, Valerie Doby, Zaneta M. Johnson, Tenika Johns, Late Great Daniel Johnson, Harold Green, Zandra Williams, Voncielle Faggett, Howard McCrary, Sam McCrary, Gloria Augustus, Kristle Murden, Linda McCrary, Maxi Anderson, Andra� Crouch, Patrice Morris, Angela Johnson, Ron Taylor , Sandra Crouch, Kevin Dorsey , Yvonne Williams (vocals); The Notorious B.I.G. (rap vocals); Carlos Santana (whistling, guitar); Stuart Brawley (whistling); Michael Hart Thompson , Michael Landau, Michael Thompson, Rick Williams (guitar); Babyface (acoustic guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, drum programming, background vocals); John Wittenberg, Robin Lorentz, Kristin Fife, Gina Kronstadt, Kirstin Fife, Peter Kent, Rob Lorentz (violin); Thomas Tally, Novi Novog (viola); Matt Cappy (horns); Brad Buxer (keyboards, programming, keyboard programming, drum programming); John "J.R." Robinson , Emanuel Baker, Gerald Hayword (drums); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion); Rodney Jerkins (programming); Marsha Ambrosius, Mischke, Richard Stites, Dr. Freeze, Mario Vasquez, LaShawn Daniels, Mary Brown, Nora Payne (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Brad Buxer; Dexter Simmons; KB; George Mayers; Eq ; Humberto Gatica; Jean-Marie Horvat; Jon Gass; Mick Guzauski; Mike Ging; Paul Boutin; Rodney Jerkins; Stuart Brawley; Teddy Riley; Tommy Vicari; Brad Gilderman; Bruce Swedien. Audio Remixer: Jeff Taylor . Recording information: Barking Doctor, Mt. Kisco; Brandon's Way Recording, Los Angeles, CA; Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA; Criteria, Miami, FL; Dark Child Studios, Pleasantville, NJ; Future Recording Sutdio, Norfolk, England; Marvin Room Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Marvin's Room Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Plant, Los Angeles, CA; Record One, Los Angeles, CA; Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA; Sony Music Studios, New York, NY; Sony Studios, New York, NY; The Hit Factory, Criteria, Miami, FL; Touch Of Jazz Studios, Philaelphia. Illustrator: Uri Geller. Introduction by: Chris Tucker. Photographer: Albert Watson. Arrangers: David Campbell ; Jeremy Lubbock; Michael Jackson; R. Kelly; Bill Meyer; Bill Meyers. Let's get the clich�d bad joke out of the way to begin with: At the time Michael Jackson released Invincible in the fall of 2001, he hardly seemed "invincible" -- it was more wishful thinking than anything else, since he hadn't really had a genuine hit in ten years, and even that paled in comparison to his total domination of the '80s. That lack of commercial success, combined with a fading reputation as a trailblazer, a truly ugly public scandal, and swirling rumors about his diminishing finances, along with a huge wait between albums (by teaming his Dangerous follow-up with a hits collection, it wound up being overlooked, despite a gaudy publicity push), resulted in Jackson being deep down in the hole, needing to surge back out with a record that not only proved his talents, but his staying power. So, faced with a make-or-break record, what does Jackson do to save his career? What he's done since Dangerous, take a turn toward the street and craft a hard-driving, hard-polished urban soul album, heavy on the dance numbers and sweetened by lugubrious ballads. It's a proven formula for commercial success, but it not only doesn't push his music forward, it makes his reach seem rather timid when compared to the wildly rich, all-encompassing musical vision of Thriller and Bad. Here, he's reined in by a desire to prove himself, so he keeps his focus sharp and narrow, essentially creating a sparkly, post-hip-hop update of Off the Wall. It's not as good as that sounds, because the infectious joy and layered craft of that masterpiece has been replaced with a dogged, near-maniacal desire to craft something hip enough for the clubs and melodic enough for mainstream radio, thereby confirming his self-proclaimed status as the King of Pop (a really terrible title, btw). Since he is exceptionally talented and smart enough to surround himself with first-rate collaborators, this does pay off on occasion, even when it feels a little too calculated or when it feels a little padded. Ultimately, the record runs too long, losing steam halfway through, as it turns to a series of rants about "Privacy" or a deadly stretch of uncomfortably treacly, sub-"Man in the Mirror" songs about "The Lost Children," or when he says that he can't change the world by himself on "Cry." Fortunately, Jackson was clever enough to front-load this record, loading the first seven songs with really good, edgy dance numbers -- even the opening "Unbreakable" isn't sunk by the creepy resurrection of Biggie Smalls -- and lovely ballads, highlighted by "Break of Dawn" and "Butterflies" with its Bacharach-styled horns. Even if these are too self-conscious and a little mechanical (which they are), they still have a spark and sound better than anything Jackson has done since Dangerous. That's not enough to make Invincible the comeback Jackson needed -- he really would have had to have an album that sounded free instead of constrained for that to work -- but it does offer a reminder that he can really craft good pop. If only he was fueled, not constrained, by his obsessions, this could have been really interesting. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Let's get the clich�d bad joke out of the way to begin with: At the time Michael Jackson released Invincible in the fall of 2001, he hardly seemed "invincible" -- it was more wishful thinking than anything else, since he hadn't really had a genuine hit in ten years, and even that paled in comparison to his total domination of the '80s. That lack of commercial success, combined with a fading reputation as a trailblazer, a truly ugly public scandal, and swirling rumors about his diminishing finances, along with a huge wait between albums (by teaming his Dangerous follow-up with a hits collection, it wound up being overlooked, despite a gaudy publicity push), resulted in Jackson being deep down in the hole, needing to surge back out with a record that not only proved his talents, but his staying power. So, faced with a make-or-break record, what does Jackson do to save his career? What he's done since Dangerous, take a turn toward the street and craft a hard-driving, hard-polished urban soul album, heavy on the dance numbers and sweetened by lugubrious ballads. It's a proven formula for commercial success, but it not only doesn't push his music forward, it makes his reach seem rather timid when compared to the wildly rich, all-encompassing musical vision of Thriller and Bad. Here, he's reined in by a desire to prove himself, so he keeps his focus sharp and narrow, essentially creating a sparkly, post-hip-hop update of Off the Wall. It's not as good as that sounds, because the infectious joy and layered craft of that masterpiece has been replaced with a dogged, near-maniacal desire to craft something hip enough for the clubs and melodic enough for mainstream radio, thereby confirming his self-proclaimed status as the King of Pop (a really terrible title, btw). Since he is exceptionally talented and smart enough to surround himself with first-rate collaborators, this does pay off on occasion, even when it feels a little too calculated or when it feels a little padded. Ultimately, the record runs too long, losing steam halfway through, as it turns to a series of rants about "Privacy" or a deadly stretch of uncomfortably treacly, sub-"Man in the Mirror" songs about "The Lost Children," or when he says that he can't change the world by himself on "Cry." Fortunately, Jackson was clever enough to front-load this record, loading the first seven songs with really good, edgy dance numbers -- even the opening "Unbreakable" isn't sunk by the creepy resurrection of Biggie Smalls -- and lovely ballads, highlighted by "Break of Dawn" and "Butterflies" with its Bacharach-styled horns. Even if these are too self-conscious and a little mechanical (which they are), they still have a spark and sound better than anything Jackson has done since Dangerous. That's not enough to make Invincible the comeback Jackson needed -- he really would have had to have an album that sounded free instead of constrained for that to work -- but it does offer a reminder that he can really craft good pop. If only he was fueled, not constrained, by his obsessions, this could have been really interesting. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine The question for a 42-year-old Michael Jackson heading towards the end of 2001 was whether or not the self-proclaimed King Of Pop could make his presence known on the charts after having spent much of the '90s laying low. If the chart-topping position achieved by INVINCIBLE is any indication, then the answer is a resounding yes. The album is primarily produced by Jersey wunderkind Rodney Jerkins, and Jacko wasted no time tapping other top-flight artists and knob-twirlers to help out, including Teddy Riley, Babyface and R.Kelly. Michael pulls out all the stops here, whether peppering the opener "Unbreakable" with his trademark falsetto and a posthumous rap from the Notorious B.I.G, or recruiting guitar great Carlos Santana to contribute some tasty playing to the Latin slow-burn of "Whatever Happens." Elsewhere, comedian Chris Tucker contributes some high speed patter to the groove-heavy, piano-driven hit single "You Rock My World," while gospel superstar Andrae Crouch and his choir provide harmonic firepower to the magically lush "Speech". Although MJ stops long enough to take a swipe at yellow journalists everywhere with "Privacy," he truly shines on "The Lost Children," a sweeping ode to his young fans everywhere.

Rolling Stone (12/13/01, p.149) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Fleet, durable R&B minimalism....and ballads ranging from Los Angeles smooth to the odd. Best of the bunch succeed with the kind of life-affirming number Jackson will never desert..." Q (12/01, p.132) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Sonically exhilarating..." Q (Magazine) (p.127) - "INVINCIBLE nw seems an appropriate swansong for a man who never came to terms with his own success." NME (Magazine) (11/3/01, p.33) - 6 out of 10 - "...A relevant and rejuvenated comeback..."

In the spotlight since the age of four, Michael Jackson rose to fame as the lead vocalist for the Jackson Five. In the late 1970s, Jackson embarked on a solo career as a young adult with the Quincy Jones-produced OFF THE WALL. With one hit album under his belt, Jackson proceeded to bring R&B to a whole new audience with his massive THRILLER release--one of the top-selling pop albums of all time--and his innovative videos, not only broke an unspoken color barrier, but began to dominate the newly founded MTV network. Although his personal life would become the ultimate fodder for the tabloids, the self-proclaimed "King of Pop" remained one of the most successful and influential recording stars worldwide until his sudden death in 2009 at 50.

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