I applaud those of you who have the perseverance and strength to wait. I am not you.
Initial impressions:
- “Starlight” — Exactly what we heard decades ago, just in high quality. Uneventful.
- “Who Do You Know” — I like this a lot! Very simple, laid back mid-tempo groove with nice harmonies. Sounds like something that could’ve wound up on Triumph. (Honestly, add a new jack beat to this and I could see it being a great Dangerous candidate—it has that sort of bounce to it.)
- “What a Lovely Way to Go” — Turns out the leaked snippet from years ago is real. Very bare bones musically, but the vocal sounds developed. Strong Elton John vibes. I can see this on Victory.
- “The Toy” — Same as “Best of Joy,” with lesser production. Not sure how I feel about it honestly; the vocals especially don’t really do much for me.
- “She’s Trouble” — It’s the finished vocal! And the quality is outstanding!
- “Behind the Mask (Mike’s Mix)” — It’s more or less the Phillinganes instrumental with MJ’s vocals. Plus, it turns out there WAS a third verse with mumbled/nonsensical lyrics. Interesting, but I can already tell this won’t outdo the 2010 mix.
Overall, I LOVE what I’m hearing, and can’t wait to hear the final product!
