Invincible (Michael Jackson album)

From Jackopedia

Invincible
Studio album by Michael Jackson
Released	October 30, 2001
Recorded	October 1997 – June 2001
Genre	Contemporary R&B, pop/rock, dance-pop, adult contemporary, urban[1]
Length	77:08
Label	Epic EK-69400
Producer	Michael Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, Teddy Riley, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, R. Kelly, Dr. Freeze
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Entertainment.ie link The Guardian link The New York Times link NME link Q link Robert Christgau (A-) link Rolling Stone link Yale Daily News (positive) link
Michael Jackson chronology
Blood on the Dance Floor (1997) Invincible (2001)
Singles from Invincible
"You Rock My World" Released: October 11, 2001 "Butterflies" Released: November 8, 2001 (promo) "Cry" Released: December 3, 2001 (Europe, Australia, and Canada only)

Invincible is the tenth and final studio album completed and released by American recording artist Michael Jackson during his lifetime. The album was released by Epic Records on October 30, 2001, six years after Jackson's 1995 double disc studio album HIStory. The album art is an image of Jackson's face with his right eye pixelated in a deeper hue (the rest of his face appears as a watermark). When it was first released, it was available in five different colors - the standard silver cover, along with red, green, orange, and blue. As of 2009, the red, green, orange, and blue covers are out of print. To date, Invincible has sold around 10 million copies worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Production 2 Sony Music contract issues 3 Promotion and singles 4 Commercial reception 5 Critical reception 6 Dedication to Benjamin Hermansen 7 Track listing 8 Charts 9 References 10 Further sources

[edit] Production

The album was to be the first studio release featuring all original tracks since Dangerous in 1991.^[2] In addition to production being handled by contemporary artists such as Rodney Jerkins, R. Kelly and former Jodeci member DeVante Swing. Hip Hop producer Dr. Dre was asked to produce, but declined.^[3]

[edit] Sony Music contract issues

Jackson was waiting for the licenses to the masters of his albums to revert to him, thus allowing him to promote his old material and preventing Sony from getting a cut of the profit. Jackson expected this to occur early in the new millennium, however, due to the fine print and various clauses in the contract, it never happened. Jackson began an investigation, and it emerged that the attorney who represented the singer in the deal was also representing Sony, creating a conflict of interest.^[4] Jackson was also concerned about another conflict of interest. For a number of years, Sony had been negotiating to buy Jackson's music catalog. If Jackson's career or financial situation were to deteriorate, it would be in Jackson's financial interest to sell his catalog. Thus, Sony had something to gain from Jackson's career failing.^[5] Jackson was able to use these conflicts as leverage to exit his contract early.^[4]

Just before the release of Invincible, Jackson informed the head of Sony Music Entertainment, Tommy Mottola he was leaving the record label.^[4] As a result, all singles releases, video shootings and promotions concerning the Invincible album were canceled. Jackson made allegations in July 2002 that Mottola was a "devil" and a "racist" who did not support his African-American artists, using them merely for his own personal gain.^[4] He charged that Mottola had called his colleague Irv Gotti a "fat black nigger".^[6] Sony disputed claims that they had failed to promote Invincible with sufficient energy, maintaining that Jackson refused to tour in the US.^[7]

The singer accused Sony and the record industry of racism, deliberately not promoting or actively working against promotion of his album.^[8]

[edit] Promotion and singles

To help promote the album, a special 30th Anniversary celebration at Madison Square Garden occurred in September 2001 to mark the singer's 30th year as a solo artist. Jackson appeared onstage alongside his brothers for the first time since 1984.^[9] The show also featured performances by Monica, Mýa, Usher, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, 'N Sync, and Slash, among other artists.^[10] In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Jackson helped organize the United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C.. The concert was aired on October 21, 2001, and included performances from dozens of major artists, including Jackson, who performed his song "What More Can I Give" as the finale.^[5] The album spawned three singles, "You Rock My World", "Cry" and "Butterflies", the latter of which did not have a music video. "You Rock My World" peaked at #10 in its third week on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and "Butterflies" later peaked at #14 on the same chart, and at #2 for 5 weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart. "Heaven Can Wait" also charted at the bottom of the R&B/Hip-Hop charts due to radio airplay without an official release.

[edit] Commercial reception

Being his first studio album in four years (after 1997's Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix), expectations were high. Invincible competed a race for the top of the Billboard 200 with some other big releases, Enrique Iglesias's new album Escape being its biggest contender. In the end, Invincible won the top, selling 366,275 copies during its debut week, almost 100,000 copies more than the 267,000 sold by Escape. Jackson's other big rival of the week, the first Backstreet Boys compilation (called The Hits: Chapter One), was number four. Invincible not only debuted at number 1 in the U.S., but also 12 other countries, and sold approximately 10 million copies worldwide.^{[citation needed]} It received double-platinum certification in the US.^[5][11][12] However, the sales for Invincible were notably low compared to his previous releases, due in part to a diminishing pop music industry, the lack of promotion, no supporting world tour and the label dispute.^[5]

Commenting on the sales of Invincible back in late 2003, which were reportedly six or seven million then, Bernard Zuel of The Sydney Morning Herald stated, "Holly Valance or Delta Goodrem would think their Christmases had come at once if they sold five or six million copies of their albums worldwide. Michael Jackson did something similar in the past two years with his seventh solo album, Invincible, and he's been branded a failure in the industry and the media. Unfair? Yes, of course, because his Invincible figures are better than those for 95 per cent of the thousands of artists released each year and would provide a healthy retirement fund for anyone. What's more, that failure tag is consistently applied by comparisons with his 1982 album, Thriller which has sold about 110 million copies and its follow-up, Bad, that sold about 30 million copies. Anything after that is a failure in relative terms if you want".^[8]

[edit] Critical reception

Reviews of Invincible were generally mixed. There was a consensus that it was one of Jackson's least impressive records, mostly because it was too long; nearly 80 minutes. Allmusic gave the record three out of five stars saying, "Ultimately, the record runs too long, losing steam halfway through...[It's] not enough to make Invincible the comeback Jackson needed...but it does offer a reminder that he can really craft good pop".^[13] NME gave the record six out of ten, stating, "Invincible is a relevant and rejuvenated comeback album made overlong".^[14] Rolling Stone gave Invincible three out of five stars, believing that the early R&B tracks were good, but the later ballads made the record too long.^[15] Reviewer Robert Christgau gave the album an A-, saying, "His skills seem undiminished...his funk is steelier and his ballads are airier, both to disquieting effect. At 78 minutes this is too long."^[16] This was the same grade he gave Jackson's landmark album Thriller when originally released.^[17]

Jackson and his supporters maintain that reviews were unfair, often discussing the singer's perceived eccentric image and past troubles, or making him the subject of ridicule.^[5] NME called him "Michael 'Actually Quite Scary Now' Jackson".^[14] Allmusic brought up "[Jackson's] truly ugly public scandal, and swirling rumors about his diminishing finances".^[13] Rolling Stone believed that "every song is full of grandiose desperation. It's an excruciatingly self-referential place, worsened further by its namesake's unmatched controversies and weirdnesses."^[15] Robert Christgau believed Jackson had a "grotesque life magnified by his grotesque wealth". He was also of the opinion that Jackson singing about helping children was "offensive".^[16]

[edit] Dedication to Benjamin Hermansen

Invincible is dedicated to the 15 year old Afro-Norwegian boy Benjamin Hermansen who was stabbed to death by a group of neo-Nazis in Oslo on January 26, 2001. The reason for this tribute has partly to do with the fact that the Oslo boy Omar (or Omer) Bhatti and Jackson were close friends, and Bhatti was at the same time a good friend of Benjamin Hermansen. The album was also dedicated to Jackson's own parents and grandmother. In the album's booklet, next to the image of a rose, it reads:^[18][19]

Michael Jackson gives "special thanks":

This album is dedicated to Benjamin "Benny" Hermansen. May we continue to remember not to judge man by the color of his skin, but the content of his Character. Benjamin ... we love you ... may you rest in peace.

[edit] Track listing

[edit] Charts

Chart (2001/2002) Peak position Certification Sales/Shipments Australian Albums Chart 1[20] 2x Platinum [21] 140,000 Austrian Albums Chart 2[22] Gold[23] 20,000 Canadian Top 50 3 Uncertified [24] <50,000 Danish Albums Chart 1[25] Gold[26] 25,000 Dutch Albums Chart 1[27] Platinum[28] 80,000 Finnish Albums Chart 7[29] Gold[30] 16,621 French Albums Chart 1[31] 2x Platinum 575,000[32] German Albums Chart 1 Platinum[33] 300,000 Italian Top 75 2 Platinum 100,000 Japanese Albums Chart 5 Platinum 200,000[34] Norwegian Albums Chart 1[35] Platinum[36] 50,000 Portuguese Albums Chart 8[37] Gold[38] 20,000 Spanish Albums Chart 1 Platinum 180,000 Swedish Albums Chart 1[39] Gold 40,000 Turkish Albums Chart 1[39] Platinum 120,000 U.S. Billboard 200 1 2x Platinum[40] 2,100,000[41][42][43] UK Albums Chart 1 Platinum[44] 350,000

The IFPI European Double Platinum Award includes sales in the following countries:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.^[45]

[edit] References

[edit] Further sources

• George, Nelson (2004). Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection booklet. Sony BMG.
• Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2004). The Magic and the Madness. Terra Alta, WV: Headline. ISBN 0-330-42005-4. 

Preceded by The Great Depression by DMX	Billboard 200 number-one album November 17–23, 2001	Succeeded by Britney by Britney Spears
Preceded by Gold: The Greatest Hits by Steps	UK number one album November 10–16, 2001	Succeeded by Gold: The Greatest Hits by Steps
Preceded by Fever by Kylie Minogue	Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album November 5–11, 2001	Succeeded by The Album by Bob the Builder