To bring these archival vocals into the 21st century, Reid enlisted Timbaland as the executive producer, alongside high-profile hitmakers Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, StarGate, J-Roc, and John McClain. Reid coined the term "contemporization" to describe the assignment given to the production team.
What elevates the Deluxe Edition far above the standard release is its structural transparency. The album features eight modernized tracks, followed immediately by the eight original demos recorded by Jackson between 1983 and 1999. This layout allows listeners to act as musical archeologists, peeling back layers of 21st-century paint to discover the foundational architecture underneath. 1. "Love Never Felt So Good" Michael Jackson Xscape -Deluxe Edition- 2014
Upon its release on May 13, 2014, Xscape received generally favorable reviews from music critics. On Metacritic, it scored a 67/100, a significant improvement over the 56/100 for Michael . Critics praised the Deluxe Edition's "original versions" disc, with Rolling Stone noting that the demos "eclipse the polished pop of the main disc." To bring these archival vocals into the 21st
The CD version includes a fold-out poster featuring exclusive art by Mr. Brainwash. Full Tracklist Song Title Producers (Modern Version) Love Never Felt So Good Jackson, McClain, Tuinfort, Anka Timbaland, J-Roc Loving You Timbaland, J-Roc A Place with No Name Slave to the Rhythm Timbaland, J-Roc Do You Know Where Your Children Are Timbaland, J-Roc Blue Gangsta Timbaland, J-Roc Original Versions (Original demos of tracks 1-8) Love Never Felt So Good (Duet) Jackson, Timberlake, Anka "Love Never Felt So Good" Upon its release
The master plan for Xscape was led by Epic Records chairman and CEO, L.A. Reid. Unlike the often-fractured creation of the 2010 album Michael , Reid approached this project with a singular and respectful vision. Rather than trying to fabricate new songs, he proposed a "contemporization" of raw material—taking a selection of Jackson’s original vocal and instrumental recordings and sensitively updating the musical backdrops.
, the project features eight tracks originally recorded between 1980 and 1999. The Deluxe Difference