CD Review: Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite (Universal Motown)

Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 4:00 am

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There are just as many ways to exploit the dead as there are to honor them. This 12-song collection of Michael Jackson's Motown-era hits remixed by mostly B-list producers falls somewhere in between. Some songs (like "I Wanna Be Where You Are," reworked by Dallas Austin as a glowing ray of pop sunshine) thrive within their new formats; some (like Akon's clunky "Ben" remix) don't. The best cuts on The Remix Suite are the ones that don't mess around too much with the original recordings by Jackson and the Jackson 5: "Never Can Say Goodbye" and "Maybe Tomorrow" are still powered by Jackson (who was barely in his teens) and his powerful voice. And do we really need two remixes of the way-too-obvious "Dancing Machine"? Depends on how you feel about posthumous money-grabbing projects like this. — Michael Gallucci