January 25, 2004

Although the media is rushing to prematurely crown Justin Timberlake the new ‘King of Pop,’ Michael Jackson still retains the self-given title, despite the continued controversies surrounding his personal life. If one needs further proof, just listen to his latest release, Number Ones. A greatest hits album, this CD contains such timeless gems as ’70s groover Rock With You, the sexy Billie Jean, anti-racism single Black or White, the haunting childhood release Ben and of course, the monster that revolutionized the music video genre, Thriller.

In the 25 plus years since he left the Jackson Five, the artist’s music has set new standards in the industry and seen multiple milestones. When Jackson performed Billie Jean on Motown 25 — Yesterday, Today, Foreverr in 1983, he introduced the world to break-dancing and became a superstar overnight. When the ten-minute-plus mini-movie video for Thriller was released later that year, it changed the face of the still nascent music video industry and forever changed how songs were marketed. When Black or White was released in 1991, progress was made once again with the creative use of morphing in the innovative video. In the post-Dangerous 1990s, however, his talents seemed to have run dry and the legend proved to be far from invincible. Yet even today, many current stars continue to emulate Jackson with their music (just check out Timberlake’s Rock Your Body) and their dance moves (see any of Britney Spears’ recent performances).

Number Ones features 18 of Jackson’s most loved songs, for the most part in the order in which they were released. However, there are some confusing selections on this CD. The superb Smooth Criminal and the recent You Rock My World didn’t reach No. 1 on any major chart, while classic singles like Say Say Say and We Are the World are notable by their omission. It is also inexplicable why the artist almost whimsically included a live performance of Ben at the end of the CD.

While the record is chock-a-bloc full of classics that impressively sound just as good now as they ever did, and the album is worth purchasing, the spectre of Jackson’s controversial recent past undeniably eclipses his music. Nonetheless, Number Ones clearly shows that Timberlake and co. still have a long way to go before truly competing for the one gloved-wonder’s crown.

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