Michael Jackson (2 stars)
The Ultimate Collection
A contract-ender and single-finger salute if there ever was one, Michael Jackson's five-disc boxed set clearly charts the Strange One's growth from beloved child to adored performer to alleged child-lover. It's no surprise then, and more than a little telling, that the cover art chosen is a stylized image of Jackson at the peak of his fame, performing "Billie Jean" and his Moonwalk move in 1983 at the Motown 25 television special.
The tracks and four discs—the fifth is a DVD of his Dangerous Tour concert in Bucharest, Romania, in 1992—are arranged in chronological order and, for better or worse, generally consist of previously released studio tracks. Disc 1 opens with some of the Jackson 5's greatest hits—"I Want You Back," "ABC," "I'll Be There"—and it's sobering to remember what an impact the group and it's pint-sized star had on the American public. Hell, they even had their own Saturday morning cartoon show back in the day. Two tracks of "Shake Your Body," one an early demo and one a single edit, are interesting for their peeks into the recording process. Unfortunately, an over-orchestrated "I Wanna Be Where You Are" and the forever-creepy "Ben" harsh the buzz.
The second disc sees Jacko at the height of his popularity, with cuts from his 1982 Thriller, the top-selling album of all time. "Wanna Be Startin' Something," "Thriller," "Beat It" tand "Billie Jean" are an incredible rush of pop-music brilliance, interrupted only by a still-too-sugary "The Girl Is Mine," his duet with Paul McCartney that, despite selling more than 30 million copies, should really be consigned to the ash can of musical history. Too bad, then, that it's all followed by a demo version of "We Are The World." The fund-raising anthem of 1985 was a group project, comprised of the vocal stars of the decade (and for some unfathomable reason, Dan Aykroyd). How bizarre, then, to hear Jackson singing it by himself, a lonely voice that seems to presage his personal transformation into the Howard Hughes of pop. But even that track sparkles compared to its follower, "We Are Here To Change The World."
The third disc covers the Bad album (good) and the Dangerous album (not so good). Even with images of Al Yankovich in a fat suit dancing through my head, "Bad" is still great. "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Man in the Mirror," "Smooth Criminal," "Dangerous" and "Black or White " are all stand-outs, giving it a 6:14 ratio of good vs. dreck.
Disc 4 is the king of pop's last desperate grasp to keep his crown. Depicting himself as a giant statue on the cover of HIStory, and making public appearances as the Messiah signaled the end. "Blood On The Dance Floor," the titular track of off of his remix album and here the only redeeming song on the disc, was a sales disappointment. The last cut on this last disc sums it up: "We've Had Enough."
Neko Case (3.5 stars)
The Tigers Have Spoken
Neko Case has paid her dues in punk rock bands, on the road with Nick Cave and as a leading light of Chicago's alt-country scene. So, if she wants to sing a Buffy Sainte-Marie track ...
Neither as ambitious nor as moody as Blacklisted, The Tigers Have Spoken, is a live release—with a couple "semi-live" tracks—that pulls together some covers, a couple of old tracks and a few new ones, marking time until her next studio effort due next year.
Casual, yes, though that doesn't mean that The Tigers Have Spoken is a throwaway. Case is a dedicated performer and her backing musicians here are a roster of alt-country all-stars. In fact, she does a great job with Sainte-Marie's "Soulful Shade of Blue," and her take on "Blacklisted" is at least as potent here as on the original. The new songs, like the title track, show that Case's songwriting also continues to develop in interesting directions. But it is her voice that remains the star, and on this release, Case's singing is always smoldering splendor, making The Tigers Have Spoken as worthy an experience as anything she has done before.