Invincible (Michael Jackson album)

Invincible is the tenth and final studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on October 30, 2001, by Epic Records.It incorporates R&B, pop and soul, and similarly to Jackson's previous material, the album explores themes such as love, romance, isolation, media criticism, and social issues.The album's creation was expensive and laborious, featuring the work of ten record producers and over 100 musicians.The lead single, "You Rock My World", reached number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 2002 Grammy Awards.Aside from Jackson, the album features productions by Jerkins, Teddy Riley, Andre Harris, Andraeo "Fanatic" Heard, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, R. Kelly and Dr.Freeze Bill Gray and writing credits from Kelly, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, Nora Payne and Robert Smith.[11] Invincible was dedicated to the fifteen-year-old Afro-Norwegian boy Benjamin "Benny" Hermansen who was stabbed to death by a group of neo-Nazis in Oslo, Norway, in January 2001.The album's full length lasts over 77 minutes and contains 16 songs – fourteen of which were written (or co-written) by Jackson.The song's lyrics, described by Rolling Stone magazine as having a "jagged intensity", narrate the story of two people involved in an unnamed threatening situation."You Rock My World" was only released to radio airplay in the United States, consequently only peaking at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100.)[27] There was, however, a special 30th Anniversary Celebration at Madison Square Garden in early September 2001 to mark Jackson's 30th year as a solo artist.[28] The show also featured performances by Britney Spears, Mýa, Usher, Whitney Houston, Tamia, Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, 98 Degrees, and Slash, among other artists.Not wanting to sign away his ownership in Sony Music Entertainment, Jackson elected to leave the company shortly after the album's release.[33] Sony disputed claims that they had failed to promote Invincible with sufficient energy, maintaining that Jackson refused to tour in the United States.[16] Hunter also commented that Jackson and Riley made "Whatever Happens" "something really handsome and smart", allowing listeners "to concentrate on the track's momentous rhythms" such as "Santana's passionate interjections and Lubbock's wonderfully arranged symphonic sweeps".[16] Mark Beaumont of NME called it "a relevant and rejuvenated comeback album made overlong",[37] while Blender also found it "long-winded".[42] Reviewing for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau said that despite being overlooked, Jackson's "skills seem undiminished [and...] he's doing new stuff with them--his funk is steelier and his ballads are airier, both to disquieting effect."[38] In a negative review for The New York Times, Jon Pareles suggested that the album is somewhat impersonal and humorless, as Jackson rehashes ideas from his past songs and is "so busy trying to dazzle listeners that he forgets to have any fun."[44] In a retrospective review for The Rolling Stone Album Guide, Pareles said that Invincible showed Jackson had lost his suave quality to "grim calculation".The album's song "You Rock My World" was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male, but lost to James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight".[56] After eight weeks of release, in December 2001, Invincible was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the sales of five hundred thousand units.[61] Invincible reached number one in 14 countries worldwide,[53] including the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.[63] The album was certified platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for the sales of 40,000 units in Switzerland.