antiMusic.com: Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson - Scream

by Kevin Wierzbicki

.
Michael Jackson covering "Monster Mash"? No, Scream is not a Halloween album in the traditional sense. The compilation of hits and favorites is rather, as the CD liner notes indicate, "A celebration of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and his love for the Halloween season." So everything here can be considered spooky in its own way; either musically like Jackson's collaboration with Rockwell on the paranoid "Somebody's Watching Me," in title like with "Blood on the Dance Floor," "Threatened," "Ghosts," "Torture" (that comes complete with the sound effect of a cracking whip), and of course the title cut. Some songs are scary in a bit of a looser way, as with "Dirty Diana" where horrifying thoughts come to mind as to what might be caught from an encounter with the song's libertine title character. Other included cuts are "Thriller," "Dangerous," "Xscape," "This Place Hotel," "Leave Me Alone" and "Unbreakable." So, whether it's Halloween or not, you have a real nice collection of Jackson's music in Scream. Something new is included for fans too; a White Panda mash-up called "Blood on the Dance Floor X Dangerous" that's crafted from four of the songs on the album along with non-Scream track "Is it Scary." And for those who purchase the CD, the enclosed poster features an augmented reality experience that can be accessed via Shazam. Glow in the dark vinyl copies are available too.

Vinyl

Michael Jackson - Scream
Rating: