Michael Jackson
Bad

THE REVIEW

Well, we have to say something to good old Michael: bravo. Bravo because after the phenomenal success of Thriller, one might have thought that Michael Jackson would "rest on his laurels," and some still think that way. But I say: my dear gentlemen, he would not have become the greatest pop star of all time if he had only made an album of nine definitely good songs.

But no, it took quite some time, but Michael came out with a gorgeous album from which no less than 5 singles reached the top of the American charts. All in all, even Bad sold quite a few copies compared to Thriller, but if selling 30,000,000 copies is considered few, hats off to those who surpass that regularly.

Bad is a decidedly pleasant album, but no, what am I saying? It's fantastic, it's extraordinary, it's complete, it has everything an album needs to become, in my opinion, one of the best that have come my way.

Just the right length (12 tracks), with continuous changes in genre that never leave the listener disappointed, rather. It begins right away with the funk of "Bad", with a video directed by Martin Scorsese in the New York subway. Then it quickly moves on to the beautiful "The Way You Make Me Feel", masterfully performed by Jackson, with a few touches of R&B here and there. Then comes to one of the weak points of this album: "Speed Demon", very little success for this track, which, however, in my opinion, is far more engaging than the sweet, but a bit too sappy "Liberian Girl". Then comes a great duet with Stevie Wonder entitled "Just Good Friends": as I said, nice, but nothing more. Then it returns to very high levels with the beautiful "Another Part Of Me", again with a bit of R&B just to add another genre. Then it gets to "Man In The Mirror", great lyrics, great performance, but the style is the usual simple pop, included to please less experienced listeners, but enlivened by a lot of wonderful "aaow" and "oooh". And just to stay in the pop for beginners theme, we come to "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", a beautiful duet with Siedah Garrett, but the music is what it is. And now we get to the grand finale, truly grand, with a series of frightening titles, starting with the first two: "Dirty Diana" and "Smooth Criminal". Two unforgettable songs, the first with an "almost rock" but definitely Jacksonian, the second (excuse me) is (I must say) my absolute favorite song, a fantastic rhythm, which you appreciate immediately, a unique video and music, stuff for real connoisseurs. It ends well, but the best has passed, with the lively "Leave Me Alone", again a great piece, but a bit below the standard of the entire album.

In the end, a beautiful album, magical, to silence those who thought Michael had retired to enjoy the good life somewhere remote. Quite the contrary: he returns with a stunning album leaving everyone in awe. At this point, there's only one thing to say: chapeau.