Michael Jackson's new CD fails to thrill

Michael Jackson's posthumous album, Xscape, will be released today, but the eight-track album is no Thriller if early reviews are to be believed.

The songs couldn't have been that great if the late king of pop left them off his previous albums, but LA Reid called on music's production big guns, including Timbaland (producer of Jay-Z's Venus vs Mars and Justin Timberlake's Suit & Tie), Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins (Toni Braxton's He Wasn't Man Enough and Lady Gaga's Telephone) and Norwegian duo Stargate (Rihanna's Diamonds and What's My Name) to refresh Jackson's vocal performances for today's radio.

For example, Love Never Felt So Good was written in 1983 and was intended as a duet with Paul Anka, according to the New Yorker, but now appears "in a refurbished modern version" with backing vocals by Justin Timberlake.

So is it a coherent hit?

The Guardian's Tim Jonze gave the album a 60% rating, saying it "doesn't imbue confidence but this album is a reminder of a pop genius". Jon Pareles of The New York Times gave it a similar rating, saying "it's clear why Jackson shelved the songs". "They're near misses, either not quite as striking as what he released or lesser examples of ideas he exploited better elsewhere."

However, Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times gave the album a sweet review, saying it "offers a chance to once again be whisked back to his creative prime and recall the man before his flaws felled him, when he was untouchable".