Michael Jackson
Dangerous

THE REVIEW

The year was 1991 and Michael Jackson was considered the Midas king of pop music. He had already sold a few hundred million records and amazed the world with "Thriller" and then with the "Bad Tour," a truly unprecedented show.

This album marks a clear demarcation line in Jackson's music; the sound becomes almost experimental, bringing to the masses' attention the so-called "New Jack Swing," a variant of pop music that would significantly influence American artists up to the present day. The album contains 14 selected tracks, reportedly chosen from a production of about 100 demos, after a work that lasted 4 years; the previous album "Bad" was released in 1987. According to MJ's fans, this is the best album by the singer-dancer from Indiana. In my opinion, it is certainly the best pop music album from 1991 until today.

This precious work starts with a truly breathtaking piece "Jam," vaguely inspired by the song of the same name by master James Brown. It has an explosive and engaging sound, entirely electronic, as one might expect, but of exceptional quality. The Funky is accelerated and enriched with a truly interesting Rap segment. Here, you immediately understand that Jackson's sound is moving toward increasingly technological music, but the piece has a soulful essence that is instantly noticeable. The trumpets are fantastic, just like the dance base; it's impossible not to dance to it. The lyrics are significantly above the artist's average, and this will be a constant throughout the entire album.

It continues with a protest song "Why you wanna trip on me," "why do you keep focusing on me," a protest against unscrupulous tabloids that had invented many urban legends about Jackson. It's very fascinating when he says, "...there are children dying every day, there is gang violence, diseases that doctors are unable to cure, but why do you still focus on me?" This is a piece that only Jackson's lovers can fully appreciate, fantastic. Now we move on to a Dance track among the most famous in the entire Jacksonian discography, "In the closet," an intro that’s scary with the voice of the princess of Monaco, at least it seems so, and an explosion of rhythm, a sensual and mysterious piece, still one of the best in its genre today, and one of the most famous of the King of POP. "She drives me wild" and "Can't let her get away" are two songs of pure experimentation, with a relentless rhythm, not commercial at all, and even if some may find it absurd, musically difficult to understand, two works unknown to most, they represent the other Jackson, the one who sometimes wants to do what pleases him and not the audience, remarkable.

"Remember the time," one of the most famous, pleasant chart hit but ultimately tiring. Now comes the album's first real masterpiece, "Heal the World," there are no words, one of the most beautiful songs in music history, it's a moving piece. "Black or White," Jackson fans will hate me for what I'm about to say, the launch single of the album, a song that, at its time, accompanied by a mega video in Jackson's style, drove the album's sales. To me, it's a piece worth four broken pennies, horrendous pop-rock-rap and more, a mishmash of nonsensical sounds, as a rock piece makes one blush compared to Jackson's masterpieces like "Beat it" or "Dirty Diana."

We now enter the most intimate part of the masterpiece Dangerous, "who is it" between soul and the dance rhythm of "Smooth Criminal," a remarkable interpretation, a sensual voice, introduction with religious choirs and the spaceship sets off, letting you travel in the world of black music from the 50s passing through disco music to the present day, the rhythm is heartrending, a love song you dance to, that makes you move your head, body, grabs you from the stomach and reaches your brain, a song that's at the same time sweet and strong, sensual and fierce, in one word MASTERPIECE. "Give in to me" a nice pop-rock piece embellished by Slash's guitar. "Will you be there" intro with Beethoven, pure black gospel, our man has again remembered his origins, and every time he does, he produces remarkable music.

"Keep the Faith," speaking of origins, soul with a capital "S," the base is electronic as with all the tracks on the record, but otherwise, it feels like jumping into the 60s, the most beautiful song in the entire Jacksonian discography, remember Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Gloria Gaynor, well then put them aside, ladies and gentlemen this is Michael Jackson's voice, "keep the faith, when you fall, get up... don't let life's hardships bring you down," I would never have imagined that Jackson could deliver such a masterpiece. "Gone too soon" sad, but syrupy poetry, mediocre. "Dangerous" This is the King of Pop.

I hope I was exhaustive, and sorry if I exaggerated, it's an album I adore, of course, we're not talking about the best music ever produced, but... oh, what an emotion to listen to the KING at the peak of his splendor again.