Michael Jackson
Dangerous

THE REVIEW

Review of the album “Dangerous” by Michael Jackson

The year 1991 marks the generational shift in pop and rock music. The glitter, studs, and flashy clothes of the 80s rock stars are replaced by checkered shirts and the grungy look of grunge genre singers like Nirvana. Pop music abandons its classical and pompous melodies to make room for a rougher style with syncopated rhythms like New Jack swing and Hip Hop. Alongside great albums like Achtung Baby by U2 and Nevermind by Nirvana, Michael Jackson crafts the album Dangerous, a fusion of New Jack swing and R'n'B sounds mixed with softer and well orchestrated ballads. Dangerous is the result of the artistic collaboration between Jackson and Teddy Riley, a leading exponent of New Jack swing.

The album opens with the sound of breaking glass on the up-tempo “Jam,” a song in full New Jack swing style that deals with issues related to an increasingly negatively changing society. It continues with the rock sounds of “Why you wanna trip on me,” which echoes the theme against mass media too focused on following and scrutinizing the life of the singer rather than raising awareness of the world’s problems; in the end, the track drags on a bit too long. The melody of a piano takes us into the sensual atmosphere of “In the closet,” a New Jack swing masterpiece mixed with R'n'B in which you can hear sounds of slamming car doors and cracked metal. The song seems to be an intimate confession  between Jackson and the voice of a mysterious woman. The rhythm continues with the introduction of horn sounds and car alarms in “She drives me wild,” an up-tempo with sexually themed lyrics. A fantastic mid-tempo with a romantic R'n'B atmosphere is found in “Remember the time,” the whirling rhythm transports us to other dimensions until reaching the frenzied and technological beats of “I can’t let her get away,” the piece, after the second chorus, is enhanced by the singer’s beatbox. The first real ballad of the album is found in “Heal the world,” a socially motivated song still well-known today for its sweet melody and message of peace, a masterpiece. The eighth track is the famous “Black or white” with roaring guitar riffs mixed with the New Jack swing beat; the piece carries forward ideals of brotherhood against racism, a theme still much debated today. A fantastic mid-tempo with dark sounds is “Who is it,” in which all of Jackson's unease emerges as he talks about a love gone wrong, the bass line and the choruses are very harmonious, yet another masterpiece.

The rock guitar of guitarist Slash introduces us to the melancholic atmospheres of “Give in to me,” where Michael’s plaintive voice blends well with the poignant guitar sound of Slash. A change of style is found in the two ballads “Will you be there” and “Keep the faith,” preceded by a classical music intro quite unexpected in an album like this, making the listening experience pleasant, especially the second one which encourages the listener to always have faith in their abilities despite difficulties, the track is a majestic gospel and soul hymn. The thirteenth track is a true poetry sung and accompanied by an orchestra in memory of Ryan White, a young AIDS victim, the ballad is a poignant reflection on the brevity of life. The album closes with the title-track “Dangerous,” a captivating mid-tempo which begins with sounds that seem to be produced by a factory, then the rhythm opens with the inevitable New Jack swing beat and Jackson’s barely whispered voice, reaching the usual high notes in the choruses together with fantastic vocal scat. The track talks about a dangerous relationship from which the tormented singer would like to escape but hardly manages to because he is too fascinated by the woman in question.

Thus concludes a truly very creative and varied journey through an album where despite the tight and captivating rhythms of New Jack swing, the artist allows us small breaks with very pleasant and melodious R'n'B pieces. Dangerous is Jackson's first project without the production of Quincy Jones, and I would say it has turned out really well with a work in which melodies and accelerated rhythms merge with noises of breaking glass, alarms, and broken metal. Dangerous is perhaps Michael Jackson's most mature album from an artistic point of view.