The second posthumous Xscape of Michael Jackson is a compilation of canceled songs from previous MJ albums. That could not make the final cut to its intentional albums somehow. Some of the tracks were already leaked online way before making it to the final place in the Xscape. But still, the album made its profit and received positive remarks from critics. There is a total of 9 songs listed in, but I arranged top fans’ favorite singles that you may like too!
1. Love Never Felt So Good
One of my favorite songs! This song came in 2014 as the first single from the album Xscape. The song was written way back in the 80s so the originally recorded, but re-worked and composed by Paul Anka to include in MJ’s second posthumous album. The song was acknowledged in the top 10 single on the US Billboard chart, making MJ the only artist to be included in the chart for five decades. Although it has two versions, and the second one duet with Justin Timberlake received various critics and awards and become one of the promotional singles for the album as well.
2. Chicago
The song that could not make its place in MJ’s Invincible. But later included in Xscape. This was originally created somewhere in 1999, with the help of Cory Rooney, a songwriter. MJ instructed the idea of how the theme of the song should be like, and when Jackson received it he says, “fell in love with it.” The song was described as, “Jackson sings in his lower register in the verses over an ominous beat, slowly painting a story of an illicit affair, before unleashing a torrent of pain and regret in the chorus.” CNN
3. A Place with No Name
A similar version of “A Horse With No Name” by group America came into the light for the first time on July 16, 2009, when TMZ released the shorten version of the song on their website. It was one of Jackson’s unreleased online leaked songs. And later it shorted out by StarGate to include in MJ’s Xscape.
4. Slave to the Rhythm
Recorded during 1990 when Jackson was working on the Dangerous album. But the song failed to make it place into that. Later its’ remix version along with ft. Justin Bieber was leaked on many occasions, including “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”. Upon it’s officially released in 2014, it helped the album to certified Platinum by RIAA.
5. Blue Gangsta
This was also recorded during the MJ Invincible era. But it reworked and embarked on Xscape with the help of Timbaland and Jerome, producers, and writers. It’s remix version “Gangsta (No Friend of Mine)” was leaked in 2006 and later many versions of the track were leaked before it makes the final cut to the album Xscape. Many fans claimed that they heard the song and they liked it during the late 2000s’. Rolling Stone stated, “The harrowing, hard-hitting “Blue Gangsta”…”